is there are people who don't recognize this is a masterpiece. Only great movie Altman made. The rest have their moments, but the need to have 6 intertwining narratives is a good sign you have short stories, not a novel. might as well film them as vignettes. this is the story of America, of capitalism, of winners, losers, the hungry ghosts who fill themselves with power or else dreams (of escape, of a beauty and truth that cannot be bought or stolen)the pace will be a bore for those who crave nonstop cartoon action, cartoon-simple character development, and telegraphed plots. or plot for plot's sake, ie connect the dot paintings. The trouble with the planet is that stuff makes billions.

With the demise of the Hays code in the late 60s many movies took an anti-establishment tack. Altman called this movie not a western but an anti-western. But there is nothing here Deadwood doesn't do in spades. If the movie were to be released today it would labeled a typical western. The overall plots not bad. Small mining camp grows and shows enough potential profitability that a large mining interest wants to buy out everyone cheap. Weak hands fold. But the strong, stubborn and stupid decide to stay and fight. The two buyers who were sent in by the company do not have the patience to stay in town but are anxious to get back to the comforts of home. They go to plan B, bring in the hired killers. Realistic enough but the implication of a Plan B is that either McCabe's signature or his brains are on the sales contract. But Butler, the chief killer, says he's not there to make a deal (BTW, Hugh Millias plays the intimidating Butler to perfection and steals every scene he is in). There is no explanation how the company gets McCabe's holdings by killing him.Of course that's not what the movie is about. No western is about proper filings at the county clerk's office. This western, like many westerns, is about armed confrontation, the shoot out! The trio of bad guys are about as good as you'll find in any western. Butler, the swaggering leader, the silent "half-breed" who could kill with a stare and the crazy "kid" who goes off at the slightest provocation. On the other side McCabe is kinda an odd bird. He is savvy enough to earn his living as a gambler and enterprising enough to build as saloon and whorehouse. Otherwise Beatty plays the role like the village idiot. There are doubts as to whether McCabe can handle a gun much less has killed a man. No Al Swearengen here. The final shoot out is not bad. It's suspenseful enough with an ending similar to that in Hamlet.Otherwise the mood and setting were great. I pretty much was drawn in to the authenticity of a cold dank muddy mining camp far up the mountain from anything civilized. I put on my sweater just to take the chill off.

Director Robert Altman spanned great lengths of symbolism to bring audiences a tale of an unlikely pairing in life on the frontier. The tale of "a savior for everyone" lays as a backdrop for the 1971 film. Warren Beatty and Julie Christie join forces to bring a sense of civilization to the town of Presbyterian Church, which has little civilization and no church. A heavy western dealing with themes of isolation and redeemers, McCabe and Mrs. Miller came off a touch thematically weighed down.Upon his arrival to the town of Presbyterian Church, gambler John McCabe (Warren Beatty) quickly learns that the town of God is nearly God-less, as the church remains under construction. McCabe then designates himself to be the town's savior, the first nod to this enduring theme. He wants to bring his brand of civility to a township that, is, well, lacking. Deciding to build a brothel, McCabe is soon joined in his exploits by Mrs. Miller, a shrewd business-minded woman who seems to believe that she acts as a savior to the girls she "employs". Soon, as their mutual business thrives, so do budding feelings between the entrepreneurs. Competing moral compasses keep McCabe and Mrs. Miller apart, as each walk among the desolate winter scene McCabe traverses reminds the viewer that the only certainty in life is solitude; we enter, and leave this world, alone. Soon, a battle erupts as the business is challenged by corporate interests who have invaded the town. The choice McCabe makes was perhaps the only one he could live with, but it holds desperate consequences for everyone else involved. The forever in solitude, John McCabe was played well by Warren Beatty who was able to execute the competing dualities of McCabe's character, who both wanted to be alone, but also wanted to be loved and needed. Julie Christie plays Mrs. Miller well also as the gruff, shrewd business woman, yet angel to the girls she employed. Personally, I get pulled into a movie's lighting. If the lighting is not right for the mood, the story is not being told properly. The lighting in McCabe and Mrs. Miller was overly dark, which fit the mood well, but was not contrasted enough with brightening during the lighter parts of the film. Another compelling aspect of the film was the cinematography. Shots of trees and mountains slated against the unfruitful harsh winter that was being endured were a true treat to the viewer. The shots were also pivotal to illustrate the deeper themes of the film. There's not much that photographs lonelier than a bare tree in the middle of winter. The audience learns that McCabe is like this tree, alone, yet seeking the cover of its familiarity. The audience eventually starts rooting for McCabe, in hopes that someday find his leaves.All-in-all, I applaud Robert Altman for providing audiences with such a deep film, and bringing such allegory and theme to the western genre. That being said, it was a little symbolism heavy. The Jesus-like moment in this film was not executed as well as the one in say, Raging Bull (1980), nor was it necessary to prove that theme to the audience. If only the director had more faith in his audience to reach the conclusions he was intending, rather than weighing down the film with so much symbolism, McCabe and Mrs. Miller could have risen to "Classic" status outside of the western genre. We will never know what could have happen, and even though I found the thematic elements over the top, I would recommend this film to any fans of great westerns, or Warren Beatty.

I loved it in 1971 and I still love it. There is so much to like about McCabe and Mrs Miller: Warren Beatty is superb as the blow-hard, big shot - who has trouble adding in his head - has next to no business sense - but is smart enough to take Julie Christie (Mrs Miller) as a partner in the brothel business. Not a great fan of Mr. Beatty (Is Carly Simon's famous song about him? I think so), he is great in this role - showing that bluster and chutzpa can get you somewhere - although in the end of course it gets him killed.Julie Christie is beautiful, fiery, and mysterious as Mrs Miller. An opium addict, she tries to escape her quite sordid world through drugs ( sound familiar?) as she prods and cajoles McCabe to be what he pretends to be. One of my favorite scenes is when she is challenging him to "think big - you always think small." This is interesting as he always talks big, but in fact has a very limited vision of what can be.I love to see growth (both good an bad) in characters. Check out the progression of evil in Walter White in Breaking Bad. McCabe, although he is 90% bluff (he is a gambler) does rise to the occasion when threatened by the gunslingers at the end. It is great to see him step up when the time came - even thought the end is tragic and very poignant.But the best part of the movie for me is the ambiance and setting and the cinematography. The bleak scenery and town provide a perfect backdrop for what I believe life was like in the early days of Western expansion. Mud, cold, unwashed people, ugly women, uglier men - this is what I imagine life was like in the Old West. Loving snow scenes, the weather portrayed in the movie is excellent, especially the heavy snow at the end. The way the film was shot with the haunting Leonard Cohen music gives this film an atmosphere of dark intrigue.BTW Leonard Cohen is still at it - check him out on one of the tracks in Sons of Anarchy (Come Healing).Finally there is the mystery. Is Warren Beatty actually John McCabe - the gunslinger who killed Bill Roundtree? Or is that part of the disguise he is willing to assume to gain respect? You can point out to events in the movie which support either theory. I'm interested in your take on this - let me know what you think. Hopefully I have motivated you to see this classic film. It is in my all-time top ten (although my Mom and Dad hated it!).Thanks for reading the review of one of my favorites. DonB