Review of McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) by Roberto L — 14 May 2008

I agree with the viewer who said that this movie should be seen in a theatre. I can see how some would find it slow/boring/dreary, but a strong element of the story is one character's opium use, so of course there are going to be woozy, dreamy images that trail off into seeming dead ends.

But the performances and settings are just right, and Altman's famous penchant for overlapping dialogue really works this time. Also his brilliant use of character actors. I think the makers of the HBO series "Deadwood" really studied this film extensively.

You wouldn't believe that Leonard Cohen's early songs could fit into a Northwestern gold rush/boomtown kind of story, but they do so here, unforgettably. And speaking of unforgettable: the last 10 or 15 minutes.