Wyoming, the late 1800’s. The final frontier of the Great American West. In the final days of that era, remote towns and lonely ranches are scattered across the vast landscape. One such small town – Big Whiskey – is watched over with the iron fist of it’s Sherriff (Gene Hackman). What he says goes, and that’s it. When some cowboys visiting town attack and scar a working girl, they are put under close watch. But on the outskirts of town, a hit has been put out on the men, and a young would-be assassin tracks down an ageing farmer at his reclusive pig ranch.
Known for his past and reputation as a cold-blooded killer, William Munny (Clint Eastwood) is offered the chance to kill the culprits and claim a large sum of money. Reluctant at first, Munny takes the offer and recruits his old partner in crime Ned (Morgan Freeman) to join him for one last job. But along the way, lines will be crossed, true characters will be revealed and the essence of a man and his past will come back to haunt him.
It’s hard
to imagine the Western film genre without certain actors, including John Wayne
and Gary Cooper, but perhaps the most famous and iconic of all was Clint Eastwood.
Breaking into the scene in 1964 with “A Fistful of Dollars” as The Man with
No Name, Eastwood could command your full attention on screen, without
saying a word. With his ice-cold stare and charisma that oozed out of the
screen, he was an actor that demanded attention and respect.
Over the years
he either starred in or directed a slew of Western’s and carved the genre out
in his name. In the 1970’s and 80’s he took a different turn, playing hard as
nails cop Harry Callahan in the “Dirty Harry” series – far removed from the Great
American West, but still channelling that style and strength all his own.
Entering
his third decade as a movie star, Eastwood felt the need to close off the
Western chapter in his long career, and make one last cowboy film. But in his
tradition of continuing to surprise audiences with his scope and depth as an
actor and filmmaker, Eastwood would give us a different kind of Western film,
and go on to take out Oscar glory in the process.
Unforgiven
became the film many would say ended the Western genre, but it won over a whole
new audience in the process. It was a cross-over film in the world of movies,
and definitely a transition for Eastwood, officially marking it as his 21st
and last Western. He would go on to star and direct in some suspense and thriller
yarns in the 90’s, then shift mostly to directing from the 2000’s onward. But in
classic 90’s tradition, Unforgiven is another example of our fascination with
period films during those years. The movie certainly spoke to the long-time and
faithful fanbase of Eastwood, who had stuck it out with him through every
Western he’d made. Those familiar with his prior work would no doubt have been
surprised at how different and against-type Unforgiven was.
Certainly,
there were many elements akin to a Western film; small backwater town, gun-slinging
whiskey-drinking cowboys, and riding horses across great plains. But the story
on offer, is very involving and dramatic. Know this – Unforgiven is a slow burn
kind of film. It doesn’t leap off the screen with shoot outs, horse chases and fights
on top of a moving train. But rather, each character we meet has been living out
that way for a long time. They are world-weary, tried and trying to move on
from their pasts. But when that opening act of the working girl being attacked
brings a stage of players together, it will unravel the fabric of the West, along
with all its familiar traditions and myths. Not having watched a lot of Western’s
myself, I am still familiar enough with the formula of the genre to understand
how different Unforgiven is.
The film
takes it times during proceedings, and will require your patience and focus. It
explores themes that ask big questions, and ultimately given life-defining
answers. This is not done in a showy or over the top way, but rather in a
deeply nuanced way, where each character embodies their experience of and
relationship to killing. It asks the viewer to consider, when is killing
justified? And who are ultimately the good and bad guys in this story. It’s not
obvious from start to finish, even if in most other Western’s it is plain to
see.
Standing out
as the best film of 1992, Unforgiven claimed the top prizes during awards
season, earning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor
for Hackman, and Best Film Editing. It was nominated in five other categories which
it didn’t win, however it should have. The film looks beautiful; lensed with cinematography
that paints a picture of the old west that is lonely and desolate. The musical
score is top notch as well, and accompanies the story and arc of Eastwood’s
character.
When we meet him, he is a man who has moved on from his past, raising his children on a farm far from any guns. But you can’t escape your past as they say, so when Munny’s comes back to call him into action once more, he is torn between trying to forget who he was and honouring his new role as a widower and father to his two young children. It’s this driving factor that anchor’s Eastwood into a thoughtful and self-reflective performance, taking everything, he knows about the West, and channelling into this film. It was a perfect way to finish off his Western journey, and cement himself as one of the best directors working in film.
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