quintet mark the only venture of both paul newman and director robert altman into the realm of science fiction . it be say of newman that he could not do comedy and but he try until he finally score a real success in that genre with slap shot . but the failure of this film leave him gun shy and he never try it again . this be one of the big downer film i have ever see . it a futuristic ice age and bring on by who know what and but presumably it a nuclear winter . even during the ice age of thousand of year ago and the equatorial part of the earth still sustain animal and human life and but apparently not here . seal have survive and paul newman be a seal hunter on the outside . but hunter do need a little r and r and newman go to a futuristic city where thing be so bore the native have some kind of game play with six people and it a kind of russian roulette . to win you have to kill five other participant in your game . it a sad turn to see what man have come down to . which be one of the reason i just could not get into this story . the atmosphere be bleak and the story be bleak and the people be bleak and it all so bleak . no wonder this thing come up short at the box office . it a film that just about everyone think be never go to be on the top ten list of paul newman film and include me . this be man future and what a bummer .