McCabe and Mrs. Miller
John McCabe is a drunk, a card sharp, and full of personal demons. He's also a business man with the dream of opening a rspectable gambling den and whorehouse in a frigid Pacific Northwest mining community. Luckily for him, he runs across Mrs. Miller, brilliantly played by Julie Christie, a well-worn brothel madam with more wits and business sense than McCabe. Striking a deal that'll ensure their mutual success, McCabe agrees to put up the money for Miller's whores, and bath house in exchange for half of the profits. When McCabe pisses off a couple bussinessmen looking to buy him out, a trio of gunslingers arrive in town to help him understand their position. What ensues is anything but the average Western.
Altman uses the languid, and melahncholy sound of Leonard Cohen's music to structure the slow and thoughtful pace of the film. The snow covered mountains and icy streets of the town heighten the cold relationship between McCabe and Miller, never bursting into the heat that writhes under the surface. These are two very flawed people, and Altman paints them masterfully. So too, his portrait of life on the frontier.
There is no posse that'll ride into this town and save the day, no high noon duel that'll preserve the life and honor of McCabe. He's a real man, not John Wayne, and he'll do what he has to to survive.