This one finds director Robert Altman in Nashville mood, far removed from the polished style and plot tensions of McCabe and Mrs Miller. Here the emphasis is on naturalism. Altman uses a gritty, unobtrusive, documentary style as he follows the fortunes of a couple of compulsive gamblers through real locations in Los Angeles and Reno. Quite many of the extras are obviously non-professional actors. This contributes to the movie's realism and helps to make its fantasy more believable. Director Altman and screenwriter/co- producer Joseph Walsh have also hung a few novel twists on the familiar plot. Walsh also plays the bookmaker who is hounding the Segal character. I thought this was the most memorable moment in the whole movie. True, there are other scenes that are almost as good, but the film does tend to become too talky. Many scenes are allowed to run far too long to justify the small point they are making. The Elliott Gould character in particular is allowed to alienate audience sympathy by giving him too much chatter and far too much scene and camera hogging. But despite these demerits, the movie is often a fascinating expose of a particular way of life, expertly photographed and often put together with an inspired use of sound and music to complement the action.
Review of California Split
