McCabe and Mrs. Miller

McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie. Directed by Robert Altman. Hustler named McCabe (Beatty) plans to start a whorehouse in a turn-of-the-20th-Century mining town. Mrs. Miller (Christie) hears of his plans and makes him a business proposition: She is a whore and a madame, and she can help him run his business with high-class whores and he will make a lot more money. Things are going along just fine when a big mining company becomes interested in buying out the entire town. Soon McCabe's life is in danger. This is a typical Altman film, if such a thing can be said about any director; this one is dark and wet and cold, with dialogue that is often muttered rather than spoken. One thing it is not is a typical Western. The movie de-romanticizes the frontier, and it's not always pleasant to watch. The overall mood is helped through songs by Leonard Cohen. Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B