Is McCabe and Mrs. Miller Really A Western?

Yep, Its a Western

• Set in Washington Territory before 1900 
• Small Mining Town has a Whorehouse and Saloon
• Hired Guns start a gun battle
• People wear pistols in holsters and draw 
• There's no real law and order 

Nope,  Its not

• No Indians or US Calvary
• Not about Pioneers or Settling the West
• No Western Outlaws - or Marshal and Sheriff Involved
• No Cowboys or Ranchers
• No Great Western scenery - all we see are Pine Trees 
• Almost no horses - people only use them to ride into town
• Everyone talks and behaves like its 1971 - not 1890

And then there's the Plot

For the first 80 minutes, we follow McCabe, a pimp and two-bit gambler, as he brings in Mrs. Miller and builds a successful whorehouse in the small mining town.  There's nothing really "western" about it.  This part of the story could have been set in any remote location prior to 1920.

In the 2nd act,  the Mining Corporation tries to buy McCabe out, fails, and then sends 3 hired guns to kill him. And there's nothing really "western" about this part either. If the killers had arrived in a Model T or used snub-nosed 38's it would've played out the same way.

Conclusion:  McCabe and Mrs. Miller is actually a costume drama/action film and not a Western.