Review of McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) by Tony P — 21 Aug 2009

Altman's western experience most strongly demonstrates the director's adoration for atmosphere and its strong influence on the audience's participation in the events. Dialogues stumble and drift in the midst of this dimly lit and brash setting, involving a viewers attention slightly differently than a typical movie.

Structurally, the film is interesting, setting up and exploring a potential love story that nearly vanishes once the threat of violence arrives in the narrative. The work turned in by Warren Beatty and Julie Christie is richly entertaining and chemically fused by Leonard Cohen's acidic soundtrack, which is a character of its own.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller is awesomely directed and dramedic in its own special way.