In many ways a traditional Western - a gunslinger hero who stands up to bullies, a hooker with a heart of gold, three badmen coming into town in high noon, the gunslinger kills them all, brothel and mining, the baddies are a mining company, the slimy saloon owner.
It does provide a fresh take - the gunslinger is blustery and spends the last half trying to avoid a fight, the hooker is mercenary and the gunslinger always has to pay her (and she's hooked on opium), it's set in the snow, the mining company sends some harrassed middle tier executives.
It's beautifully shot and lit (it takes some getting used to but is worth it), the Leonard Cohen songs work a treat. The villains are superb - especially the imposing Brit (what a baddie!) and the psychotic kid who wastes Keith Carradine for no reason (the "half breed" doesn't get a showy moment).
It takes a while - two hours - but works on it's own terms. By making a genre piece Altman is restrained - he can bring his magic to an existing form.
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