Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that it 'no doubt has all sorts of weaknesses in character and plot, but which manages a visual strategy so perfectly controlled that we get an uncanny feel for this time and this place'.
Gene Siskel of the
Chicago Tribune awarded two-and-a-half stars out of four, saying that the film 'at least on the story level, breaks no new ground' in that the criminals' actions 'are reminiscent of
Bonnie and Clyde and a host of lesser films', adding 'Indeed, the major element of surprise in
Thieves Like Us is that Altman doesn't surprise us at all.'
Vincent Canby of
The New York Times called the film 'such an engaging, sharply-observed account of a long-lost time, and of some of the people who briefly inhabited it, that I hope it doesn't get confused with other films that seem, superficially anyway, to have covered the same territory'.
Variety wrote, "
Thieves Like Us proves that when Robert Altman has a solid story and script, he can make an exceptional film, one mostly devoid of clutter, auterist mannerism, and other current cinema chic."
Pauline Kael of
The New Yorker wrote that the film 'seems to achieve beauty without artifice. It's the closest to flawless of Altman's films—a masterpiece.'
Kevin Thomas of the
Los Angeles Times wrote, 'Demanding and subtle, a seductive reverie of a film,
Thieves Like Us affirms Robert Altman's place in the front ranks of American directors.' In a negative review for
The Washington Post, Gary Arnold called the film 'disappointing', writing that 'the beautiful images seem to freeze or petrify on the screen, because Altman does not bring any intensity to the narrative'. ==Awards and honors==