'Unique masterpiece' Western with 85% score is 'better than Unforgiven'

A classic Western is hailed as a "masterpiece" superior to some of the genre's most celebrated films. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) tells the story of mysterious, charismatic gambler John McCabe (played by Warren Beatty), who arrives in Washington state in the early 1900s.

McCabe, who is rumoured to be a notorious gunman, enlists the help of Cockney madam and sex worker Constance Miller, played by Julie Christie, to run a brothel, with him looking after the establishment's gambling hall. The enterprise proves to be a major commercial success, but the pair soon come up against the might of big business in the form of a powerful corporation.

The film was directed by Robert Altman, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Brian McKay, based on Edmund Naughton's 1959 novel McCabe.

Critics and fans praised the movie's subversion of classic Western tropes, dispensing with the admirable hero archetype to focus on the wily anti-hero of McCabe.

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert said the film is "like no other Western ever made, and with it, Robert Altman earns his place as one of the best contemporary directors".

One Audience Reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote: "McCabe lights a cigar, then crosses a bridge to lead the audience into both a surreal and realistic work, a visual masterpiece whose characters chill and enchant like falling snow."

Another called it: "One of the greatest westerns ever.

A third said: "Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller comes close to being a cinematic masterpiece. The setting and story seem to be a reflection of the corrupt and confusing era in which it was made.

"But that doesn't change the fact that this vision of the American West feels authentic and always realistic," they added, calling the film a "must see".

One fan on IMDb says the film is better than some classics of the genre, including Unforgiven (1992), which Clint Eastwood starred and directed in, and is often held up as among the greatest Westerns ever.

"Having sat through most of the Rios, the Searchers, Red River, Stage Coach, the Leone Spaghetti Westerns, and the more current incarnations of the genre (Unforgiven, Dances with Wolves, All the Pretty Horses, et al.), I will say without hesitation that McCabe is a superior film (and a superior western) to all those listed," they wrote.

The film has a 15 certificate, and includes some violent scenes and bad language, so may not be for everyone.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller is available to rent or buy on platforms including Amazon Prime and Apple TV.