1992 westernRating: 17/20
Plot: Will Munny's killed a lot of folk--women, children, anything that walks or crawls--but hasn't shot at a man or drank alcohol for over ten years. Instead, he's tried his best to settle into farm life with a wife and two children. His wife dies and his struggles on the farm escalate at around the same time a young buck visits him with a proposition. The self-named Schofield Kid wants to partner up with Munny to hunt down a couple cowboys who cut up a prostitute. He initially declines but eventually, with old partner Ned, meets up with the kid to travel to Big Whisky. Little Bill, the sheriff in Big Whisky, isn't happy about the prostitutes' bounty and tries his best to rid his town of assassins.
Near-classic has great acting (Hackman being the most memorable although Richard Harris is also enjoyable), great characters, great dialogue, and great visuals. There isn't much wasted here. Well, I don't care for the prologue and epilogue bookends. Beautifully structured with cranky poetry, dusty existentialism, and bloody mysticism.
Summertime is here. Summer is the season of the western. Here I am watching the first of probably many:
I used to have a lot of time on my hands, so I created an all-time Oscar list. Gene Hackman won the best supporting actor award for this performance. I'm sure he would be very pleased if he only knew.
ReplyDelete'Unforgiven' is a flawed masterpiece and is maybe the darkest western I have seen. The price you pay for Hackman's mesmerizing Little Bill Daggett is putting up with the visually challenged Schoefield Kid. The price you pay for Richard Harris's amazing English Bob is age-challenged Ned Logan (played competently by Freeman). Balancing Eastwood's nightmarish Bill Mummy is the aesthetically challenged prostitute victim. A devastating ending follows a so-so middle third. With a totally unvarnished view, 'Unforgiven' shoots a bullet into the skull of any romantic ideal of the old-west. The acting is extrordinary, but the setting had many characters I didn't like spending time with. An 18.
Who won instead of Gene? I thought he did win.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your thoughts here. It is dark stuff, but that's how I like my westerns. The darker, the better.
Oh, wait...an all-time best supporting actor award. I understand what you mean now. Wow. I'm sort of surprised you've given it to Gene considering he wasn't even wearing a towel in this movie.
Don't try to understand that towel reference. It's obscure.
Now I won't be able to think of anything else. A new catagory. Greatest performance in a towel or when wet.
ReplyDeleteHackman's controlled fury is incredible in this. I love the jail scene with Bob where there is a lot of humor masking pure violence. I never saw the end coming where he could run into an even more violent character with no conscience. "I don't deserve this" and "deserves got nothin' to do with it" is one of my favorite exchanges in any movie. "Unforgiven" isn't even dark, it's black. I just wish I didn't have as many issues with it so it could be in my top echelon.
I give this movie a 20.....I honestly cannot find a flaw in it to drag it down. I dont like the scenes with the prostitutes much, but they are mostly mcguffins to get through the plot.
ReplyDeleteI love this movie...and could watch it fifty times and get something else from it, each time.
Where's it fall in your top-150, Burymore?
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is a good 'un!
I dont have a current top 150 films...but Unforgiven would be in my top 30 at least.
ReplyDeleteAnytime a movie gives me actual chills, when a character in a movie is able to make me feel like I have stepped in his shoes...I give it a bump up. As I said, its not a perfect movie. (Casablanca might be the only "perfect" movie...not my absolute favorite, but I could not have done anything with Casablanca to make it better in any way.) However its got great acting, fine writing, and excellent character development. You cant ask for much more.