Unforgiven

The Western is dead; long live the Western! In truth, the Western did not die with this film. And it isn't dead now. But with this film, the Western was certainly dying. It didn't matter that this film and 'Dances With Wolves' a few years earlier had won the Best Picture Oscar. Audiences didn't want Westerns anymore. I think this was partly because at this point people began to realize that the old American West was not all cowboys and cowhearding as we wanted to believe for a long time. The West was not as glamorous as Hollywood would want us to believe. I believe that people at this point realized this, and visions of the West were changing. We didn't totally want to come to terms with the truth and so our desires changed. We didn't want Westerns; maybe we thought that they had lied to us (in reality, many Westerns actually were very honest in their portrayal of the American West). This film not only marks the dying of the Western film in Hollywood but also for Clint Eastwood (who both directed and starred in this film): so far it has been his last Western, and probably will be. This film is a culmination of all of his Westerns, from those he starred in to those he directed. There are echoes of the Dollars trilogy, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales', and 'High Plains Drifter', among the others. Mr. Eastwood said that this film was the ultimate Western, that it was everything and contained everything he thought a Western should be or should be about. It wraps up his lucrative Western career, and it does so in a magnificent way.
To start, the acting is superb. Mr. Eastwood is as brilliant as ever, and he is the ultimate anti-hero. Like his Man with No Name he kills for money, and really, that's pretty much what he does. He is a murderer by profession. But he has a family, like Josey Wales. He loves his family. And like the Stranger, he comes to seek vengence upon a town that has turned a blind eye to wrong-doings. He comes from the desert, nameless (here he has a name, Bill Munny, but he lies about it), to punish the truly evil and to set things right. It's hard to like him because he so ruthlessly and brutally murdered people, but we can't help but like him for striving to change and refusing to resort to his old ways until absolutely necessary (and he's a loyal friend). The film, and the character of Munny, speaks out about violence in the West. 'High Plains Drifter' did this as well to some extent, but violence is more of a theme in 'Unforgiven' than in the other film. Western violence was brutal and at times uncontrolable. Truthfully, in reality much of Western violence in history, while brutal, was not excessive. Deaths from violence were not very common. Most of the violence did not come from gunfights in the street, but from angry drunk cowboys who had lost at gambling or were itching for a fight. But it was not as horrible as people would often think. Some towns were more violent than others, but much of the violence happend out of the towns, in the country where there were no rules and no laws. Mr. Eastwood does not embrace the 'traditional' (I say traditional and mean what is typical in this genre of film) view on Western violence-that is, there is no showdown in the street and no bloodbath remenicent of 'The Wild Bunch'-but he pays tribute to it as well, by allowing the film to be violent. I get the feeling that he is saying 'Enough', both to the false portrayal of the West and also to the unglamorous and brutal nature of the West. Like Munny, Mr. Eastwood has had enough and has come to end it. The final fight at the end marks the end of his work with the Western. It is a bittersweet end, and this is evident in the look on Munny's face as he shoots the sheriff. The characters each are subtle in the way they speak out about the false assumptions of Western violence as well. We assume that they are brutal assasins, but in truth both the Kid and Logan have never shot anyone before. Like our beliefs of the West, they are not as brutal and violent as we thought. And for those who support violence, they must be punished. Those who would allow violence to go unchecked must have vengence brought upon them. Bill Munny does so here.
Other actors of note are Morgan Freeman, who gives a strong performance as Ned Logan, and Jaimz Woolvett, the Schofield Kid. Mr. Freeman is always fantastic, and here is no exception. Mr. Woolvett adds depth and personality to the tragic character of the Kid. He truly brings out the agnst of having to be something one is not (perhaps he speaks for Western films?) and while he is foul mouthed, uncouth, and crude, by the end of the film I felt sorry for him. He is not as hard as he seems, much like Munny himself.
The musical score is not much to talk about; it's there, but isn't noteworthy. It adds to the film but doesn't detract or outdo, which is good. And like all of Mr. Eastwood's films, the cinematography is beautiful.
But it was those little moments, like when Munny walks into the saloon at the end of the film for the last time, and he is clothed in shadow, that really made me cheer. Mr. Eastwood can't help but soak up the glory of his character or add some cheese to the film; and why not? This is his last Western. Certain other points, such as when Munny finally gives in and drinks from the whiskey bottle after he has learned of Ned's death, are simply too cool. They are what makes the film truly awesome.
This is one of those films that really needs to be seen to be fully understood. It is difficult to talk about unless you are doing a class lecture on Western films. The film is like one big juicy steak, like the filet mignon of Western films. There is so much meat here to dig into. The Western isn't dead yet; maybe it never truly will be. But it is certainly dying. This is a magnificent film; it's a must for any Clint Eastwood or Western film fan.