One of the strangest things to ever happen to Robert Altman was box office success. It happened once, as 1970's "M*A*S*H" managed to break out and find an appreciative audience exposed to the director's impish, subversive ways and his specialized manner of making movies. The release was enormous, suddenly putting Altman in the spotlight, which didn't suit his artistic interests, spending the rest of the decade burning off such financial potential on a series of challenging endeavors that perfectly fit his cinematic worldview. 1974's "Thieves Like Us" was sold to audiences as something of a gangster picture, following the survival of three prison escapees using bank robberies to fund their lifestyles. But this is Altman, and the cheap thrills of criminal activity have no place in the effort, as it's more of a character study focusing on people stuck in neutral for various reasons. "Thieves Like Us" remains in line with other Altman offerings, but it's hard to grasp the purpose of its glacial pace, which strains dramatic engagement as cinematic indulgence tends to dominate the viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com