This is Clint Eastwood's last Western, and it is a good one. It also is trite, derivative and wanders all over the place (sorry, guys, I know many want this film on Mt. Rushmore, but that's how I see it).. I will say that it is great seeing Clint playing an unredeemed tough guy one last time. However much you may sympathize with his quest, his character still, throughout, is nothing but a despicable killer who deserved far worse than he got. He only looks good in comparison, and that's not saying much.
I saw this on it its first run. It came out during a unique period in American history, right after the fall of the USSR and the First Gulf War but during a painful Recession. In some ways the US was riding high, but at the same time it was the captive of its own painful vulnerabilities and imperfections. That is the story of "Unforgiven," transmuted to the Old West.
A tough man and his companions embark on a journey to right some wrongs. Along the way, we learn something about the man, but we don't get his full measure until the very end. What we learn turns everything upside down and leads to a very satisfying conclusion. This simple tale fits into the pure-Americana mold of "True Grit" and "The Searchers." If you haven't seen those two films, you should before you see this one. "Unforgiven" unmistakably walks in their giant footprints.
The key to this film, I believe, is to learn exactly what Clint Eastwood's character, Bill Munny, stands for. At first we don't know what is special about him, or why anyone would approach him for help. He is just a simple farmer, and not a very successful one at that. But he is taken by a story of a prostitute who was unnecessarily and cruelly disfigured in a town called 'Big Whiskey.' While a bounty is involved, it's as insignificant to the quest as the payment in "True Grit." There are much larger issues at stake. There is an underlying air of chivalry that comes straight out of "True Grit": a wronged woman demands justice, vengeance is required, and the worthiness of those involved is irrelevant. Munny thus hooks up with an inexperienced young partner (an obvious commentary on the Glen Campbell role in "True Grit") and his reliable old comrade Ned (Morgan Freeman) and off they go.
Gene Hackman is "Little Bill," a pompous windbag of a sheriff who rules Big Whiskey with the proverbial iron fist. He is riding high, and delights in not just beating his victims, but degrading them. Richard Harris ("English Bob"), a phony dime store novel hero, unwisely ventures into town accompanied, improbably, by his very own biographer (Saul Rubinek). Little Bill finds him fascinating but brings English Bob down to earth quickly. It is the rough and tumble old West where only raw power counts, and Little Bill has it.
Perceptive and clever despite his own faults, Little Bill knows there are hired guns out to kill him. He captures and interrogates Ned, then kills him. When Munny is told this, he at first appears to simply accept it as something that happens in their line of work. Watch, however, his reaction change when he is told that Little Bill put Ned's corpse on display with a big sign saying "This is What Happens to Assassins Around Here." That reaction, one of the most dramatic in any Clint role, sets in motion the climax of the film. We also learn at this point that Munny himself is not, can never be, and cannot consider himself better than anyone else. That fact is important because it shows the source of his humbleness, the demons that haunt him and why he is driven to drink. His character is not the issue here, though, only what it impels him to do.
Right after the 2001 terrorist attacks, I was riding in an airport van back to a hotel after being grounded. Rumors were rife, but everyone knew the world trade center was gone. Nobody knew what to say, but a fellow in the back said simply, "Someone's gonna pay for this." Exactly.
It is not giving anything away to say that when Munny and Little Bill finally meet, there is a brief but epic exchange. "I don't deserve to die like this," Little Bill says. "'Deserve's got nothing to do with it," Munny replies. The whole meaning of the Munny character and, indeed, the film is encapsulated in that one line, in the same way that, say, "A Few Good Men" comes down to "You can't handle the truth." Little Bill is pleading his case, as a member in good standing of the community. He thinks his entire life's work should be taken into account before he is sentenced for what both of them know are unpardonable crimes. Munny unhesitatingly rejects that defense out of hand while acknowledging his own fallibility. Little Bill unfortunately had broken a tacit code of tough men: you may kill people that you must, but you don't take pleasure in their humiliation. A whore must not be deprived of the only thing she could be proud of, a harmless visitor should not be unnecessarily disgraced, a dead but honorable foe should not be publicly mocked. There shall be no mitigating factors whatsoever when you cross that line.
So, you have America, with all its flaws and weaknesses, finally kicking Saddam Hussein out of his intended conquest, Kuwait, and Gorbachev finally tearing down that wall as Reagan demanded. Bill Munny, vile murderer and failure, rights some simple wrongs, and that is all anyone can do. As he rides out of town, you feel as if something greater than a man is present. It is not Munny riding that horse, but the eternal Avenger of honor and decency in the most humble of human forms. His final words temporarily bring the world back into simple balance. And, in this vale of tears, sometimes that's the best you can hope for.
http://movieloversreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/unforgiven-1992-deserves-got-nothing-to.html
