ThiefHott Too much of everything

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

jimprideaux2 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.

SnoopyStyle It's the turn of the century. John McCabe (Warren Beatty) arrives in the remote settlement of Presbyterian Church. Sheehan (René Auberjonois) runs the saloon. McCabe gambles and drinks with the gruff locals. There isn't much else to the place. He goes over to the next town and buys three prostitutes for $200. He sets up a low rent whorehouse. Constance Miller (Julie Christie) comes to town and convinces McCabe to join in partnership. She brings in more girls and classes up the joint. As they gain success, a mining company offers to buy up their properties with threats against refusing their offer. Miller is an opium addict and pushing to sell.Director Robert Altman brings a naturalistic feel to this story. I expected him to make Alma a bigger character but she kind of disappears. There is also the slightly muffled nature of the sound. Altman left everything very natural. I wish the dialog could be clearer. It's a well-made revisionist western. It takes the genre into a less-heroic and more complicated world. Even the climatic shootout is unlike the traditional affair.

charlywiles Let me start out by saying that I am a fan of director Robert Altmam and have enjoyed many of his films. "MASH," "Nashville," and "The Player" are absolutely brilliant pictures and there is much to enjoy in many of his other films, including "The Prairie Home Companion," "The Company" and "Cookie's Fortune." However, he has also made his share of turkeys. Among these I would include "Short Cuts," "Popeye" and "Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean." His two worst efforts, however, are probably his two Western films, "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson" (quite possibly the worst Western ever made) and this incredibly overrated film."McCabe" does have some good points, which include terrific attention to detail in art direction-set decoration and Julie Christie's excellent performance, but these are not enough to overcome poorly lit photography, the annoyingly unclear overlapped dialogue, Beatty's poor acting and Leonard Cohen's insipid musical score. The downbeat story, depressing mood and the slow pace of the film really made it a chore for me to sit through as well.It's mind-boggling how anyone could place this on their list of favorite Westerns (unless you really don't like them to begin with), let alone place it on their list of favorite films, period ("Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca" or "Lawrence of Arabia" anyone!).

oOoBarracuda 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.