QUINTET

Quintet (1979) is one of those strange cinematic curiosities that I’m not sure I’ll remember or even decide if I enjoyed it.  If I had to sum it up in one word, the word would be “mediocre”.  It’s the only sci-fi film ever made by Robert Altman, and the only sci-fi film that Paul Newman starred in.  I’m not sure either gentleman benefited from the venture.

The film is set in a dystopian future where the world has experienced a second ice age.  Newman plays Essex, a wanderer who travels to “the city” in hopes of finding his brother. What he finds instead is a decaying society obsessed with a game. The game is called “Quintet” and people of the city use the game for escapism.  At first, Quintet seems like a harmless distraction from the bleakness of their world, but it turns out the stakes are fatally real.  When your character dies in the game, you die in life as well. Essex inevitably gets pulled into the game himself, and what unfolds is a slow, icy spiral into paranoia and doom.

Visually, Quintet is stunning. The sets genuinely transport you to an icy wasteland where humanity’s last remnants are barely hanging on. Altman’s decision to blur the edges of the frame gives everything a dreamlike quality, as if we’re peering through frostbitten glass.

Where Quintet lost me was in its pacing and emotional detachment. The story crawls forward at a glacial pace (see what I did there?!), and for once in an Altman film, I found myself not caring about any of the characters. Newman’s Essex is stoic and distant, and the supporting cast doesn’t bring much warmth either. It made it hard to stay invested. There’s a sense that the film wants to be profound, but it ends up feeling more like a beautifully shot endurance test.

Upon reflection, I think Quintet was probably ahead of its time. It flopped at the box office, but over the years it’s gained a small cult following, and I can understand why. It’s an ambitious, philosophical piece that feels like a mash-up of Logan’s Run, The Hunger Games, and Soylent Green… but stripped of their excitement. It could have, and should have, been much better. Still, for all its flaws, there’s something oddly interesting about it. It’s a cold film in every sense, but if you’re in the mood for something strange, slow, and visually striking, Quintet might just pull you in… like the game itself!