Unforgiven
released 1992
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“Unforgiven” is an American, western, action, drama produced by David Valdes, Julian Ludwig and Clint Eastwood who also directed the film. It was written by David Webb Peoples and stars Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Jaimz Woolvett, Saul Rubinek, Frances Fisher, Anna Thomson, David Mucci, Rob Campbell, Anthony James, Tara Frederick, Beverly Elliott, Liisa Repo-Martell, Josie Smith and many more.

Unforgiven IMDb webpage

“Unforgiven” is the story of retired gunslingers Bill Munny, played by Clint Eastwood, his friend Ned Logan, played by Morgan Freeman, and their young, nearly blind sidekick known as the Schofield Kid, played by Jaimz Woolvett. Bill takes one final job for the money. The job centers around the meting out of justice for a young prostitute whose face was cut up by one of her clients. Now the prostitute did mock the cantankerous man but she clearly did not deserve what he did to her. And in this story are the themes and questions of justice, law and revenge. What should be done to the man who mutilated that woman? Does the injured party have a right to hire gunslingers for revenge? Bill, Ned and The Schofield Kid find themselves at the center of that maelstorm and in a very dangerous situation.

This is a very interesting story of revenge and how justice doesn´t always shine in the places it´s most needed. This is even true today where a person´s access to justice is often determined by the resources they command and their rank in society. This is a good film because it delves into the complexities of revenge and justice. Where they overlap and the tension from that struggle.

Keep in mind that at this place and point in time prostitutes generally did not have access to justice and were badly treated by society. This was due to the gender discrimination of the time and the fear of the illnesses that that community spread. So, like in so many westerns, you have a wrong that needed to be made right. The big problem with the story was that nobody really had the moral high ground. Not the gunslingers, the sheriff or anyone else.

This story turns the idea of the western a little on its head because there is no clear hero, no clear moral high ground. All the people are a slimy bunch even Bill and Ned who at least admit what they are. In older westerns you had a hero who set things right using the same methods as the villains but was cheered because he was a man. This story doesn´t do that. It doesn´t shine up any of the killers. It shows the situation just how it really is and that is nice to see. Even if what we see is not always pretty its close to the truth of the matter. Following that same style of storytelling, I´d love to see a more honest movie about Wyatt Earp and the shootout at the OK Coral.

So, check out “Unforgiven”. It´s a good watch.

John

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