the best thing i can say about quintet be that it not quite as bad a i remember it be on my first viewing . but that doesn not mean it good . this weird and sci fi thriller be not quite like any other movie i have ever see and which i guess at least give it the stamp of novelty . but it a borderline disaster of a movie and and one of the bad robert altman ever make . on the dvd special feature about the making of quintet and it clear that even altman do not know what the hell the movie be suppose to be . it set in some distant future when the world be in the grip of another ice age . the film be shoot at the abandoned site of the montreal expo 67 and and i do have to admit that this give the movie some interesting production design element and even if much of it look like it be film in an iced over shop mall . paul newman and look zonked out and absolutely disinterested in anything go on around him and and brigitte fossey and play drifter who wander into this futuristic city look for newman brother . soon newman be catch up in a deadly game of quintet and which all of the bored inhabitant play for lack of anything well to do and and the rule of which be never make clear to the audience . all we know be that the object of the game it to kill everyone else youre play with and remain the only person alive . this give these nihilistic inhabitant their only thrill and because a one of them say at one point in a psychobabblish soliloquy and only by be near to death can one appreciate be alive . the movie be slow and ugly and actually uncomfortable to watch due to it unrelenting gloominess . it almost a if altman be purposely set out to make a movie no one would want to sit through . there aren not character oh sure and actor walk around speak line and but none of the line really mean much and the impressive list of international actor altman assemble for this register not a whit . only bibi andersson give the close thing to a memorable performance a could possibly be find in a movie like this . but nevertheless and it do succeed in establish an atmosphere and even if that atmosphere be one of pure awfulness and and it be oddly fascinating in the way that watch a man slowly starve himself to death would be fascinate . altman really hit a dry spell after nearly a decade of superb film . quintet follow close on the heel of the atrocious a wedding and be follow in short order by the not bad but mostly forgettable a perfect couple and the by all account terrible health ( which i have never see because it not available anywhere to see ) and the disastrous popeye . thank god he rebound . grade represent d .