Unforgiven

Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is a magnificent film, a western that deserves to stand shoulder to shoulder with such classics of the genre as Red River, The Searchers and The Wild Bunch.

The film is chiefly the story of William Munny (Clint Eastwood), a struggling Kansas farmer still mourning the death of his wife. One day he is unexpectedly approached by the trigger-happy "Schofield Kid" (Jaime Woolvet) who asks him to join him a bounty killing of the men who scarred a prostitute in the town of Big Whisky, Wyoming. After much deliberation, Munny agrees and the unlikely duo team up with Munny's old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman). Together, they set off on the vengeance trail. Their first stop is Big Whisky. While the other two visit the whorehouse, the aged Munny shivers lonely in a bar before getting brutally done over by ruthless Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett (Gene Hackman).

At the 1993 Oscars Unforgiven deseredly won a fistful of Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. It is a majestic piece of work which allows itself to find its own pace. The dramatic landscapes are wonderfully framed by cinematographer Jack N. Green. Eastwood, a deceptively skilled actor who is able to enrich characterisations with subtle nuances of expression, prefectly incarnates the soul of William Munny, a complex hero who gradually rediscovers the need for violence. He is supported by some quite outstanding character actors. Gene Hackman is particularly effective as the mean eyed sheriff.

Review by Stephen Townsend
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94