Clint Eastwood
redefined the western genre so it is only fitting that his final film in which
he proverbially rides into the sunset would end up deconstructing the genre
piece by piece. In Unforgiven (1992) there is no noble hero, no villains in
black hats, and killing a man is something that has a lasting impact. The film
earned Eastwood two Oscars, for Best Picture and Best Director, but it is Gene
Hackman who won in the performance category for his role as one of the most
violent men he has ever played. He also happens to play the sheriff.
The first time I
started watching Unforgiven was when
it was playing on TV when I was living in South America in the late 90s.
Unfortunately it was playing in Spanish and it was already halfway started, and
when it got to the more violent scenes I think I might have been a tad too
young for them. A few years later, I am living in Quebec and I do the old
fashion thing of renting the DVD so I can finally watch it from beginning to
end. DVD bonus: it turns out it is extremely difficult to shoot dialogue scenes
when the actors are on their horses so they would fake it by sitting on benches
while the camera crew would shoot above their waists to give the illusion they
were on horses. The more you know.
Eastwood’s
character of William Munny seems to represent the accumulation of every other
western character he has played. His reputation as a cold-blooded killer is
legendary across the west, but in his old age Munny has sworn off killing and
alcohol, choosing instead the life of a peaceful farmer so he can raise his two
children. However making an honest living is sometimes more expensive than
living by the gun, so when young and ambitious gunslinger the Schofield Kid
(Jaimz Woolvett) comes to him with an offer of a hefty reward in exchange for
killing people who have it coming, Munny reluctantly agrees for the sake of his
children’s financial future. Along with fellow retired gunfighter Ned Logan
(Morgan Freeman) they ride off to collect the bounty, sleeping under the stars
and missing their blankets.
The reward in
question has not been set up by the government or even a local sheriff, but by
prostitutes in the town of Big Whiskey who are unhappy with the punishment two
men have received for slashing the face of a young working girl. The two men
are guilty no doubt about it, but the local sheriff, “Little” Bill Daggett
(Hackman) decides to give compensation to the brothel owner instead and lets
the two men go.
Little Bill
believes in law and order, just as long as he is judge, jury, and executioner.
When bounty hunter English Bob (Richard Harris) arrives in town to collect the
bounty Little Bill arrests him for illegally carrying guns in town, but then
proceeds to brutally beat him in front of the town in order to discourage anyone
else wanting to take the law into their own hands. Travelling with English Bob
is writer W.W Beauchamp (Saul Rubinek), the kind of writer responsible for
romanticising the Old West. Wanting to see a legend in action, he chooses to
stay with Little Bill. Beware what you wish for.
Fans of good old-fashioned
shoot-em up might find Unforgiven a
bit slow at times, and find that there a lot more discussion about killing than
actually killing. Throughout the film Munny is very reluctant to pick up a gun
and a whiskey bottle, afraid of what it will do to him and to other people. The
Schofield Kid on the other hand is very eager to get to the violence, but when
the shooting does take place he realizes it is not as easy as the legends say.
As Munny tells him “It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man.”
Once Munny is
eventually pushed over the edge and takes that damning sip of whiskey, the
monster is unleashed. There is nothing heroic in his actions, just pure anger
as he shoots unarmed men and threatens to do terrible things to anyone who gets
in his way. This is not a hero killing the bad guys; it’s a gunslinger doing
what he does best. Once the smoke clears there is not much poetry left in the
west.
After a movie
like that there was nothing left for Eastwood to add to the western genre, but
the film’s influence cans still be felt years later. There was a Japanese
remake in 2013, unseen by me, although I did read the graphic series Preacher by Garth Ennis and there is
clearly a lot of William Munny in the character the Saint of Killers. Do
yourself a favour and read those books in preparation of the TV adaptation. It
will blow your mind.
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