For years, the Western has been one of the most dominant genres in the movie industry. It was the typical western movie about good cowboys fighting against the odds to beat out the bad guys. The typical John Wayne Western. Then, Sergio Leone, invented the infamous Man with no Name. A new step in Westerns, we saw the creation of an anti-hero. Someone who was tough and bad but still had the decency and morality to stand up for others. The evolution of the western has finally evolved to this film; it is the ultimate climax. An amazing look at the violence, notoriety, and tragic history of how the West actually was. Unforgiven took everything about the Western and re-examined it. It is a powerful and dark film that has redefined and brought an end to what can be thought of as a western.
William Munny (Eastwood), is a a long time criminal who after fading into retirement, comes out to do one last job with his long time partner Ned Logan (Freeman) and a young gun named The Schofield Kid (Woolvett). They agree to hunt down some criminals who cut up a girl who worked at a house of "whores." But the whole thing ends badly when the sheriff of the town where the "whores" live, Little Bill Daggett (Hackman), goes after Ned and Will because of their vigilante justice.
There are several important concepts addressed in the story of Unforgiven. One is the idea of murder. Men are either born to kill or not. Either they can handle it or not. Unforgiven is the perfect example of this. The Schofield Kid is a virgin to killing and wants his opportunity and when he finally gets it, he feels regret and remorse. Yet William Munny has the ability to kill a dozen men, no problem. Either you have it or you don't. Another theme is related to this. William Munny was a man who tried to settle down after his crimes and make peace with himself. He was described as "having killed women and children." But when he comes back to that world, he finds out it hasn't changed at all. He is just as capable of repeating his sins as he was years ago. Which shows that William Munny just did not shape himself, but the entire world he lived in shaped him.
There is a character in the movie named Beauchamp. He is a writer who wants to understand the ways of the west. He is the person who understands the west as a story of good and bad. The ideals of the typical "John Wayne Western Film." How there are bad guys, good guys, and their preconceived stereotypes. Good vs. Bad, Black vs. White. But in the end, when he is confronted by Munny, he learns differently. People like him don't understand the true ideals of the west. The violence, the darkness, the scars that come from that time. The Old West and the lives of people like William Munny, are stories of how dark and unforgiving the old west really was. It was more then just good guys and bad guys; its the reason there is such difficulty in labeling any character as good or bad. There is that gray matter which exists in between them all.
In Unforgiven, you have the typical western characters. English Bob (Richard Harris) is the washed-up showboater. All he does is brag about his "Golden years" and make himself out to be a True Legend of the West. The Schofield Kid is a youngster who thinks he can make it in the big times but of course, he can't. Ned is the loyal and faithful sidekick to the major "anti-hero." Little Bill is the tough-ass corrupt sheriff who stops at no measure of brutality and indecency. His past has effected him as much as Munny's and he wants only to be content with what he has done in life. Munny is represented as the "anti-hero" to an extent but he is also represented as the long time villain seeking redemption (Which we find, he will never truly attain). But all the typical characters of there, examined and laid out, to truly understand what they stand for and their importance in the old west.
Don't watch this movie cause its Clint Eastwood's Best Performance or because Hackman won an award for best supporting actor. Not because it won an academy award for best picture and academy award for best director for Clint Eastwood. Watch this because it is one of the most thought provoking films ever made. Easily one of the three greatest westerns ever, this film redefined the western. It has been called the Eulogy of the Western and for good reasons. This is exactly the movie the western should die with, because its the harshest and darkest portrayal of the old west ever on screen. A T-R-U-E Masterpiece.
William Munny (Eastwood), is a a long time criminal who after fading into retirement, comes out to do one last job with his long time partner Ned Logan (Freeman) and a young gun named The Schofield Kid (Woolvett). They agree to hunt down some criminals who cut up a girl who worked at a house of "whores." But the whole thing ends badly when the sheriff of the town where the "whores" live, Little Bill Daggett (Hackman), goes after Ned and Will because of their vigilante justice.
There are several important concepts addressed in the story of Unforgiven. One is the idea of murder. Men are either born to kill or not. Either they can handle it or not. Unforgiven is the perfect example of this. The Schofield Kid is a virgin to killing and wants his opportunity and when he finally gets it, he feels regret and remorse. Yet William Munny has the ability to kill a dozen men, no problem. Either you have it or you don't. Another theme is related to this. William Munny was a man who tried to settle down after his crimes and make peace with himself. He was described as "having killed women and children." But when he comes back to that world, he finds out it hasn't changed at all. He is just as capable of repeating his sins as he was years ago. Which shows that William Munny just did not shape himself, but the entire world he lived in shaped him.
There is a character in the movie named Beauchamp. He is a writer who wants to understand the ways of the west. He is the person who understands the west as a story of good and bad. The ideals of the typical "John Wayne Western Film." How there are bad guys, good guys, and their preconceived stereotypes. Good vs. Bad, Black vs. White. But in the end, when he is confronted by Munny, he learns differently. People like him don't understand the true ideals of the west. The violence, the darkness, the scars that come from that time. The Old West and the lives of people like William Munny, are stories of how dark and unforgiving the old west really was. It was more then just good guys and bad guys; its the reason there is such difficulty in labeling any character as good or bad. There is that gray matter which exists in between them all.
In Unforgiven, you have the typical western characters. English Bob (Richard Harris) is the washed-up showboater. All he does is brag about his "Golden years" and make himself out to be a True Legend of the West. The Schofield Kid is a youngster who thinks he can make it in the big times but of course, he can't. Ned is the loyal and faithful sidekick to the major "anti-hero." Little Bill is the tough-ass corrupt sheriff who stops at no measure of brutality and indecency. His past has effected him as much as Munny's and he wants only to be content with what he has done in life. Munny is represented as the "anti-hero" to an extent but he is also represented as the long time villain seeking redemption (Which we find, he will never truly attain). But all the typical characters of there, examined and laid out, to truly understand what they stand for and their importance in the old west.
Don't watch this movie cause its Clint Eastwood's Best Performance or because Hackman won an award for best supporting actor. Not because it won an academy award for best picture and academy award for best director for Clint Eastwood. Watch this because it is one of the most thought provoking films ever made. Easily one of the three greatest westerns ever, this film redefined the western. It has been called the Eulogy of the Western and for good reasons. This is exactly the movie the western should die with, because its the harshest and darkest portrayal of the old west ever on screen. A T-R-U-E Masterpiece.
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