Kansas City

film by Altman [1996]

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July 20, 2026

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Robert Altman's film Kansas City (1996) is set in the 1930s and explores the city's rich jazz heritage. The movie features Harry Belafonte as a crime lord and Dermot Mulroney as a young gangster. While some critics found the story unmemorable, they praised its depiction of the era's jazz scene. The film is part of Altman's broader body of work, known for its focus on character and atmosphere, often exploring themes of innocence, corruption, and survival. Altman, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was an unconventional director whose career spanned decades, marked by innovative techniques like overlapping dialogue.1

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Robert Altman
1980s and ’90s of Robert Altman
…the 1930s in Altman’s birthplace, Kansas City (1996) features Harry Belafonte as crime lord and Dermot Mulroney as a cocky young gangster. Some critics found its story to be neither memorable nor original but were more complimentary of its depiction of Kansas City’s rich jazz heritage. Like so many of…
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…the 1930s in Altman’s birthplace, Kansas City (1996) features Harry Belafonte as crime lord and Dermot Mulroney as a cocky young gangster. Some critics found its story to be neither memorable nor original but were more complimentary of its depiction of Kansas City’s rich jazz heritage. Like so many of…
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Harry Belafonte
…Night (1974), The Player (1992), Kansas City (1996), Bobby (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
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…Night (1974), The Player (1992), Kansas City (1996), Bobby (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
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