It takes a long time to outgrow the desire to be entertained by traditional Hollywood fare that is easily digested. That is exactly what the filmmakers of the seventies wanted their audience to do. Altman took greater risks than any of his peers to break free of Hollywood conventions. His films-like Buffalo Bill-are intended to challenge and frustrate the audience's expectations. No one else experimented more freely with shifts in tone and the blending of genres. This film is ridiculous and profound at the same time. The final scene in which Bill is loquacious while Bull remains taciturn for an extended time is typical Altman. This history lesson fits perfectly into the group of other seventies revisionist westerns such as Little Big Man and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Second tier Altman is still more interesting than most contemporary films.
