Poll Position: Unforgiven (1992)

Last week we had a poll of westerns on the site and the winner turned out to be Unforgiven, the 4 time Oscar winning Clint Eastwood produced and directed film. Not only that, but he stars in it too. I was half suspecting to see his name come up in the writing credits too, but that wasn't the case. Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman are a few more of the names that star along with Eastwood. Since I've only see a few westerns, and most of them involve Clint Eastwood, I had a pretty good idea what to expect from this one. Hit the jump to see if it was as predictable as I thought it would be.


Clint Eastwood plays the role of Bill Munny, an aging gunman famous for his violent ways. Even the members of his own gang hated and feared him. But those days are long in the past. He married and calmed his ways and had a family. One day a young kid rides up to his failing farm and offers him a job tracking down some cowboys who violently cut up a young woman prostitute, scarring her for life. Seeing how he needs the cash, he meets his partner Ned, played by Morgan Freeman, and they ride off to do one last job. The only problem is that it's been so long, their gun skills have faded, and their spirits have changed. Will they be able to take a life once more?

While I thought I knew what I was going to be seeing with this movie, it turned out to be much different than I thought. There was a lot more drama about what it means to kill a man, and what kind of man you have to be to do it. There are so many themes running through this movie it's almost too many to mention. What is right and wrong? At what point is the authority no longer someone to obey? What is a life worth? And is revenge ever worth the personal toll? Can a man truly change? There are more, but I think you get the idea.

Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood go in search of a bounty one last time

The other thing I didn't expect to find would be that Clint Eastwood's character is so far removed from his wild gun slinging days, that not only can he not hit a tin can with a pistol, but he can barely get on a horse! This was not the kind of Clint Eastwood I liked to see, but it certainly was different. Even so, he did a really good job of bringing his character to life and I could see the two sides of his nature fighting against one another. That of the past gunman, and that of the reformed man of the present.

As for the other roles, everyone seemed to fit it well except for two. First of all I just want to say I thought Gene Hackman was really good and he fit right into this western world. He had a lot of depth to his character, even when it came down to building his own house, but the roof is full of holes and leaks in the rain. It's no wonder it was his role that won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Now, as for those 2 sore thumbs? The kid who comes to tell them about the job was just kind of annoying and I didn't like him. The second one is more surprising to me. Even though he did a good job in his role, Morgan Freeman just didn't seem to fit the western world for me. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's because he just didn't sound right. He spoke the way he always speaks, and his accent and way of speaking just felt too modern and he didn't fit in for me.

He may not be good with a pistol, but you don't have to aim much with a shotgun!

While there is a ton of drama and set up in this film, when the action finally kicks in at the end, it's really good. I don't want to give away what happens, but something makes Bill snap back into his old ways and you definitely find out why even his own gang feared him. This is a man you don't want to ever seriously cross, or nothing is going to save you. In short, the action was great, even though there wasn't very much of it.

I'll be honest with you, at first I was a little disappointed in this film. I was really expecting a lot of action, but there really wasn't much. Also it was kind of sad to see Clint Eastwood's character be so out practice and a poor shot. After watching it all though, and looking back on it a bit more, I can see what they were trying to do, and it certainly added to his character. Nevertheless, I'd be lying if I said I connected well with the story. Most of those themes and messages just never really worked for me and I was a little bored for most of the film until the action kicked in. I was honestly shocked when I found out this won for best picture and best director, but I guess an unconventional film is good for awards night. Personally I thought it was just alright. If you're looking for a western with a more dramatic flare, give it a shot. If you looking for action, best look somewhere else.