Review of Unforgiven (1992) by Jay L — 05 Jul 2011

"An old man reconnects with his wicked past.".

A different kind of American western, a brilliant salute to the genre. The ultimate tale of redemption and honor as told through the eyes of the quintessential western icon himself, Clint Eastwood. Eastwood both directs and stars in this spectacular Award-Winning early 90's masterpiece. It's the last great western, and Eastwood's best since "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". A tribute to Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti westerns of the 60's and Don Siegel's classics of the 70's and 80's. Unforgiven is an epic. Eastwood, in search for peace of mind for his many years of violence and high body counts, found it with this deeply personal salute to the old west persona. A complete homerun, Eastwood and company knocked the ball out of the park with this one. It's a hard-hitting knockout of pure nostalgic atmosphere, one of the best genre throw-backs that's ever been crafted. Tremendously marvelous, lasting and outstanding, deeply dedicated, funny as hell, bloody and gritty and an instant classic. All Western fans rejoice, this was the perfect way for Eastwood to retire from Old West, the genre that chiseled him into the legend that he is today. A pure marvel and a masterpiece of modern cinema, Unforgiven is tough, violent, sharp, slick, exciting, superb, witty and undeniably one of the best American Westerns to ever be made. It's action-packed from start to finish with plenty of shootouts, adventure and grit. An unending adventure in excellence. A film that belongs in every film fan's collection. A powerful story of pure engagement from beginning to end, the old west went out with a BANG!

The cast is jammed with awesome talent and many Western and film icons. Clint Eastwood, in quite a subdued role, is absolutely spectacular throughout. His last Western was also one of his best. Gene Hackman is extraordinary, he's a legend in his right. Morgan Freeman is pure brilliance every second that he's on the screen. A cas for the ages, it's rare to see three legends on the screen in one scene. It's just a blast to watch these three do what they do best.