Who is unforgiven? I would imagine it's the lead character, William Munny (played by Clint Eastwood). But the idea of forgiveness isn't directly dealt with in the movie that I can tell. I feel a bit weird about writing about a movie where I don't understand the title, but without Googling it, or asking others who might know, I'm left with no real answer.
As I watch and count down the original AFI 100 list, this is the first movie I encounter that is from my lifetime, that I know I saw way back when, when it was new. Chances are, I watched it on a VHS tape I rented at the video store and had to return within 24 hours for fear of getting a late fee. That all seems so long ago, and at the same time, not so long ago.
In 1992, I knew Clint Eastwood from a couple of characters only: Dirty Harry, and the guy from the "Every Which Way" movies with the chimp. I was just reaching the age where I could appreciate an actor from an adult-like point of view. I knew Eastwood was intense. I'd heard the whole "go ahead punk, make my day" thing, and the big gun he had as Dirty Harry. I'd probably seen another movie of his, or two. But I certainly didn't know his history as a western movie actor.
Today, I know about a lot of his iconic roles, including "The Man With No Name". I've seen a lot of Eastwood's movies. The man is undoubtedly top-notch, an all-timer. Forget about what you might think of him as an old man. I saw The Mule recently, which had a couple scenes filmed minutes from my home, and he's still got it. I can't imagine what I'll be doing at that age. I doubt I'll even live that long.
After seeing this movie again, via a digital streaming service with no late fees, I realize that Eastwood just understands westerns. Of course, he directed the film as well, and it shows. I think the difference here is the attempts of his title character to shed that tough-guy image and live a better life. In the end, he isn't able to. At least not from what we see on screen. Perhaps after he has completed his tasks, he finally does find that peace he sought.
When it comes down to it, Unforgiven is a showdown of two iconic actors, Eastwood and Gene Hackman, who plays Sheriff Little Bill Daggett. Eastwood's character is William Munny, a known killer in the old west of Kansas and Wyoming. We first see him as a father, trying in vain to deal with some pigs he has on his meager little ranch, with his young son and daughter helping him. He is doing what he can to raise his children quietly, following the improvements in his life that he made after being with his wife, who we learn died from smallpox two years before. These improvements include no killing and no drinking.
Maybe he is looking for forgiveness from all his deeds of years before, which he only attributes to having been drunk a lot. It's never well explained why he did what he did, or what exactly made him want to change, outside his wife Claudia's influence. Again, just a guess.
We have the contrast of who we sees Munny as for most of the film, and who he was prior, and again as he avenges first the prostitute Delilah (Anna Winger), severely cut up by another drunk young cowboy, and then his old friend and partner Ned (Morgan Freeman). We also get the older and experienced in Munny versus the young and inexperienced in the form of The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett).
The Kid enlists Munny, who in turn enlists Ned, to kill the two cowboys who cut up the prostitute Delilah and collect the reward she and the other "whores" gather together. The Kid claims to have killed five men (including a Mexican who came at him with a knife), but in the end, he wasn't telling the truth, and his first actual experience pulling the trigger leaves him knowing he doesn't want the life he thought he did. He doesn't want to end up like Munny.
I could go into a lot more detail but I will just highlight a few things that caught my attention. The movie is obviously a drama, but the relationship between Ned and Will, in particular, does lend to a couple moments of comic relief. At one point, after torrential rains while traveling to locate and kill the young cowboys, Ned asks Will, "still think it's going to be easy to kill those cowboys?" Will responds matter-of-factly, "if we don't drown first".
Another funny moment was earlier in their trek when Will talks about how he doesn't go into town to "get a woman" (prostitute) in reply to Ned asking if he ever did. Will explains how it's not right to pay for flesh, etc. And Ned, knowing Will's wife is deceased, just asks "so what do you do? just use your hand?"
I found it interesting how the Sheriff and his lapdogs decide to protect the second cowboy after the first has been killed. It seems they really did think so lowly of the ladies that they would do this. And yet at another point, Daggett tells Ned he will hurt him badly if his story about who his friends are doesn't match that of the ladies. He tells Ned that he wouldn't hurt a woman. He might not hurt one, but he certainly doesn't stand up for one either. And this guy is the SHERIFF.
In fact, we see the parallel after the crime where Little Bill lets the cowboys go free in return for them bringing back some horses to make up for Delilah's sudden inability to earn shopkeeper Skinny Dubois (Anthony James) much money, rather than properly punish them. When the girls pool their money for the reward, the comment is made, "we may be whores, but we ain't horses".
Hackman is generally an outstanding actor, and he is here as well. But like Eastwood, his character is a bit different than the norm. Little Bill is cruel and has a massive ego, yet we see him as a bit of a doofus, too. Even the pushover writer Beauchamp (Saul Rubinek) cannot help take shots at the horrendously bad construction job Bill is doing while building a house. This tempers the usual vision of Hackman the tough, but not as much as the image of Eastwood is tempered after being badly beaten by Bill during their first encounter.
You won't be disappointed watching the performances of three iconic actors ply their trade. I could go on some more about the plot and its meaning, but I think it's best to stop here and just suggest watching it. William Munny has to rely on some old ways to do the right thing, and perhaps he was meant to remain unforgiven. Besides, who does he want forgiveness from, anyway?
How about a contemporary review of this movie?
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