A newer, updated, mining camp Western with Robert Altman's quirky input. Warren Beatty is McCabe, a frontier business mogul wannabe. Julie Christie is the practical Brit who convinces McCabe of the necessity of female whorehouse management. The bad guys looking to break up the fun represent a mining conglomerate interested in McCabe's domain.The picture does give a novel slant to traditional Western elements. A gritty atmosphere --- with rich, colorful mining town sets clearly derivative of the great, underated Paint Your Wagon --- supports some unabashed Western realism, particulary notable for the early 70s. The film tries to show us a good deal of the business side of frontier development. McCabe, with all of his exagerrated conceit, is an interesting Western character. Likewise for Julie Christie's Mrs. Miller, further backed by an exemplary performance.I really enjoyed this Western. It seemed fresh, but legitimate in almost all respects. Mr. Altman lends it a certain welcome, hippie-era revisonism, particularly present in the nice, Leonard Cohen soundtrack. In this respect, McCabe and Mrs. Miller is similar to Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Though many will disagree, as this movie can be dark and plodding, we rate it a solid MUST SEE.
Cast:
- Warren Beatty.... John Q. McCabe
- Julie Christie.... Constance Miller
- Rene Auberjonois... Sheehan
- William Devane.... Lawyer Clement Samuels
- John Schuck.... Smalley
- Corey Fischer.... Elliot
- Bert Remsen.... Bart Coyle
- Shelley Duvall.... Mrs. Coyle
- Keith Carradine.... Cowboy
- Michael Murphy .... Eugene Sears
- Antony Holland.... Ernie Hollander
- Hugh Millais.... Bulter
- Manfred Schulz....Kid
- Jace Van Der Veen...Breed
- Jackie Crossland.... Lily