Review of Unforgiven (1992) by Brandon S — 18 Aug 2015

Most westerns explore two concepts: 1) might makes right and 2) you can't escape who you are. Unforgiven merges the two into a plot that exposes the brutal lawlessness of the frontier and shows that wickedness and justice, crime and punishment are relative and not always meted out by the appropriate authority. With rich symbolism - Little Bill's roof leaks with holes as big as the holes in his application of the law - and characters so strong they take on mythic qualities, Unforgiven won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1992.

Most of that success is attributable to Clint Eastwood, who secured Unforgiven yet another Oscar as Best Director. He also handles the lead role of William Munny. Eastwood makes this role work so well, in part, because he uses it to draw his own gunslinger film career to a close. At several points in the film, William Munny answers, "I ain't like that anymore" to questions about his murderous past. He delivers the line as if trying harder to convince himself than this comrades. The fact that audiences around the world saw Eastwood in shoot 'em up western roles since the '60s lends credence and authenticity to his portrayal of Munny, even beyond the understated delivery and meancing facial expressions that became Eastwood's trademarks. Munny's partner, Ned (Morgan Freeman) provides the strongest link to the past - a past Munny thinks he's left behind.

The appeal of Unforgiven lies in its ability to cut through the machismo of the genre and explore morality on many levels. In a world of horses and whores, lawmen and outlaws, cowboys and indians, the lines aren't always drawn so clearly as westerns pretend. Unforgiven introduces us to a variety of characters, each more viscious than the next. Each time we think we are watching the strongest gunfighter, someone comes along to prove us wrong.

A great irony is on display throughout the film. The hero is an anti-hero who can barely mount a horse or shoot straight when the story begins. He is a murderer who found solace in a wife and kids, was forgiven for his sins, escaped his past for a time. All the western cliches failed during the movie. Even attempts to use a bottle in a bar fight - the oldest tricks wouldn't work. And in the end, the anti-hero was un-frogiven for his past. "It's a hell of a thing killing a man," Munny says, gazing off into the distance. "You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." Yet even this acknowledgement doesn't stop him from meting out his own brand of justice.