Kansas City

Strikes me as something of a cinéaste's film - directed by Robert Altman, it's a film about setting and period and, to be honest, not much else. Kansas City, 1934 - petty thieves and organised crime, deal-making politicians and violent enforcers, laudanum-addicted socialite wives and tough-talking dames, cacophonous jazz bars and neon-lit nights. But the jazz scenes are great and Leigh completely carries the film - as far as I'm concerned, there's no one more watchable in cinema today - ably supported by Miranda Richardson and the rest. So, all in all, I wasn't disappointed.