by Josh Sewell
For more than 15 years, I’ve occasionally worked on a series of articles called Catching Up on the Classics. I focus on an iconic film that I either haven’t seen or one that I’ve wanted to write about for a while. It has allowed me to discuss movies like Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, The Apartment, Vertigo, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Do the Right Thing and many others.
For this agriculture-themed issue of West Georgia Living, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to finally correct a shameful omission in my viewing history. I somehow made it this long without seeing Clint Eastwood’s 1992 masterpiece Unforgiven. The revisionist Western grossed $159.2 million ($356.5 million in today’s dollars) and won four Oscars – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman.
The film is an incredible story of guilt, revenge and possible redemption on its own. However, when you factor in Eastwood’s legendary status at that point in his career, it gains an importance that elevates it to almost mythical status. Breaking news: turns out that a well-known perfect movie is, in fact, perfect.
Unforgiven kicks off in brutal fashion, with prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) getting horrifically disfigured in Big Whiskey, Wyoming. When her fellow brothel workers realize sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) is letting the perpetrators off easy, they pool their resources and post a reward for the men’s murder.
As word gets out, two vastly different gunfighters head to Big Whiskey to collect the bounty. One is the egotistical, ostentatious English Bob (Richard Harris), who is accompanied by a writer (Saul Rubinek) looking for his next big story. The other is outlaw-turned-farmer William Munny (Eastwood), who is only returning to killing because his family needs the money. He sets out with his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and a brash newcomer who calls himself the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett).
As the various factions converge on Big Whiskey, the sheriff resorts to extreme measures to ensure his tiny town stays peaceful. However, when Daggett takes things a step too far, the violence of Munny’s past threatens to reemerge.
Unforgiven isn’t anything groundbreaking when you watch it without context three decades later. But when you consider how mainstream audiences would’ve viewed the gut-punch of a final act, with Eastwood destroying the villainous townsfolk in a hail of gunfire, it has much more of an impact.
In the director’s previous work, especially films like Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales, he played characters who were in the right when it came to gunning down their enemies. In Unforgiven, however, things are a bit more complicated.
For starters, Munny has miraculously made it out of the criminal world. His late wife showed him the errors of his ways and his primary concern is his two young children. By choosing to return to the world of killing, he’s essentially putting his soul back on the auction block.
Furthermore, he ropes in his old friend Ned, another criminal who has left that world behind, content to live on a farm with his wife. It’s that character who (spoiler alert for a 32-year-old film) pays the ultimate price for the duo’s desire to revisit the past.
Granted, that horrific incident is what pushes Munny to the point viewers want to see – laying waste to everyone connected to Ned’s death – but it comes with a terrible price. We also see the impact it has on the Schofield Kid. Despite his braggadocious claim that he’s killed several men, it’s clear once he shoots an unarmed criminal this is his first experience with death.
By the time Unforgiven has reached its brutal conclusion, the audience gets what they’ve wanted since the beginning, but it leaves them with mixed feelings. Munny has his revenge on Little Bill, but he’s killing a man whose sin is that he wanted his town to live without the threat of firearms.
Although Little Bill resorts to extreme measures, it’s tough to discount his reason for such brutal violence. It’s also disheartening when you consider his preventative measures impact characters intent on punishing those who resort to horrific violence when they’re embarrassed.
That’s particularly true for English Bob, who expects to glide into Big Whiskey and collect his bounty, only to realize he’s facing an opponent who doesn’t care about his fabricated history. When Little Bill (in a phenomenal performance from Hackman) unleashes a brutal beating on him, viewers realize what future killers are up against.
For this agriculture-themed issue of West Georgia Living, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to finally correct a shameful omission in my viewing history. I somehow made it this long without seeing Clint Eastwood’s 1992 masterpiece Unforgiven. The revisionist Western grossed $159.2 million ($356.5 million in today’s dollars) and won four Oscars – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman.
The film is an incredible story of guilt, revenge and possible redemption on its own. However, when you factor in Eastwood’s legendary status at that point in his career, it gains an importance that elevates it to almost mythical status. Breaking news: turns out that a well-known perfect movie is, in fact, perfect.
Unforgiven kicks off in brutal fashion, with prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) getting horrifically disfigured in Big Whiskey, Wyoming. When her fellow brothel workers realize sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) is letting the perpetrators off easy, they pool their resources and post a reward for the men’s murder.
As word gets out, two vastly different gunfighters head to Big Whiskey to collect the bounty. One is the egotistical, ostentatious English Bob (Richard Harris), who is accompanied by a writer (Saul Rubinek) looking for his next big story. The other is outlaw-turned-farmer William Munny (Eastwood), who is only returning to killing because his family needs the money. He sets out with his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and a brash newcomer who calls himself the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett).
As the various factions converge on Big Whiskey, the sheriff resorts to extreme measures to ensure his tiny town stays peaceful. However, when Daggett takes things a step too far, the violence of Munny’s past threatens to reemerge.
Unforgiven isn’t anything groundbreaking when you watch it without context three decades later. But when you consider how mainstream audiences would’ve viewed the gut-punch of a final act, with Eastwood destroying the villainous townsfolk in a hail of gunfire, it has much more of an impact.
In the director’s previous work, especially films like Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales, he played characters who were in the right when it came to gunning down their enemies. In Unforgiven, however, things are a bit more complicated.
For starters, Munny has miraculously made it out of the criminal world. His late wife showed him the errors of his ways and his primary concern is his two young children. By choosing to return to the world of killing, he’s essentially putting his soul back on the auction block.
Furthermore, he ropes in his old friend Ned, another criminal who has left that world behind, content to live on a farm with his wife. It’s that character who (spoiler alert for a 32-year-old film) pays the ultimate price for the duo’s desire to revisit the past.
Granted, that horrific incident is what pushes Munny to the point viewers want to see – laying waste to everyone connected to Ned’s death – but it comes with a terrible price. We also see the impact it has on the Schofield Kid. Despite his braggadocious claim that he’s killed several men, it’s clear once he shoots an unarmed criminal this is his first experience with death.
By the time Unforgiven has reached its brutal conclusion, the audience gets what they’ve wanted since the beginning, but it leaves them with mixed feelings. Munny has his revenge on Little Bill, but he’s killing a man whose sin is that he wanted his town to live without the threat of firearms.
Although Little Bill resorts to extreme measures, it’s tough to discount his reason for such brutal violence. It’s also disheartening when you consider his preventative measures impact characters intent on punishing those who resort to horrific violence when they’re embarrassed.
That’s particularly true for English Bob, who expects to glide into Big Whiskey and collect his bounty, only to realize he’s facing an opponent who doesn’t care about his fabricated history. When Little Bill (in a phenomenal performance from Hackman) unleashes a brutal beating on him, viewers realize what future killers are up against.
Although later Westerns ended up gaining further critical acclaim (including Tombstone, Open Range and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), those wouldn’t have happened without Eastwood’s phenomenal transformation of the genre.
In its early days, the white hat killed the black hat and justice was restored. But with Unforgiven, it’s tough to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys. That’s why Eastwood the director made Eastwood the actor’s final moments so affirming. We cheer because Munny is avenging his friend’s death, but afterwards we question why we feel so good about cold-blooded murder.
In conclusion, the film leaves viewers with a lot to consider as the end credits roll. Sure, our “hero” emerges victorious, but the epilogue leaves us wondering how happy Munny’s life ended up being. Do I hope he and his children were happy? Sure. Do I realistically think that’s what happened? Not so much.
Unforgiven is rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality.
Grade: A+
In its early days, the white hat killed the black hat and justice was restored. But with Unforgiven, it’s tough to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys. That’s why Eastwood the director made Eastwood the actor’s final moments so affirming. We cheer because Munny is avenging his friend’s death, but afterwards we question why we feel so good about cold-blooded murder.
In conclusion, the film leaves viewers with a lot to consider as the end credits roll. Sure, our “hero” emerges victorious, but the epilogue leaves us wondering how happy Munny’s life ended up being. Do I hope he and his children were happy? Sure. Do I realistically think that’s what happened? Not so much.
Unforgiven is rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality.
Grade: A+
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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