Movie: Unforgiven
Year: 1992
Genre: Western/Action
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman

Snapshot of Story:
A small town in the western front suffers humiliation when a group of thugs enter the town and rape some of the working women. The women setup a bounty to catch the culprits but the sheriff is not pleased and thwarts all attempts to stop them.

Storyline:
Will Munny played by Clint Eastwood makes a last concerted effort along with his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to claim the bounty setup by the women. They make way to the town along with another person known as ‘The Schofield Kid’ and embark on the journey that would change their lives.

The movie was directed by Clint Eastwood himself who is already credited with a string of successful movies such as ‘Pale Rider’ and not forgetting the dollar trilogy of movies by Sergio which this film was dedicated to.
It is a gritty movie that touches the human emotional perception of death and how it is represented to various people. For Munny who was once a cold blooded killer, the task of killing was easy but for the ‘The Schofield Kid’ who was bent on being a killer himself found it very hard to do so. It perfectly reflected the junction where one can openly see killings taking place and visualize themselves doing it but the actual act of doing it and taking a life opens up deep conflicting moral issues internally.

The director has done well to portray the killings to serve a purpose as in the case of Munny and his left-hand Ned Logan but in the same token the sensitivity of the movie towards humans and their well-being is equally emphasized. At one point Munny saves one of the women from trouble and is offered a ‘free-one’ for his chivalrous act.

There is a brief appearance by Richard Harris who also comes to the town but only to be taken down by the Sheriff played by Gene Hackman to set an example to anyone coming to town for the bounty.

The movie shifts to high gear when Ned Logan is captured by the Sheriff and his gang and is tortured and murdered and then displayed in a casket in front of the bar. Up to now we did not witness the cold-blooded nature of Munny and this becomes evident as he enters the bar. At one point Munny takes a drink of whiskey which he had avoided thus far and symbolizes a turning point where he vowed never to drink or kill. This unleashes almost an evil force within him where he is able to bring down the Sheriff and all of his men.

Final Thoughts:
Many people claim that this was one of the best western movies ever made and there are many reasons for this. The movie does not portray an unknown and mysterious hero as in the dollar trilogy of the 1960s western but the heroism is wrapped up in a very believable story in this movie of ‘Unforgiven’. In fact, for those longing to see the fast gun-slinging action of Clint Eastwood will be better off watching his older western movies. The movie ‘Unforgiven’ has won many awards for its portrayal of a gritty life in the western front that encompasses all of the elements of heroism, moralities and ethics into one.

Rating:
8.5/10

Visit the official site of Clint Eastwood

The Biography of Morgan Freeman

Be fan of Morgan Freeman on facebook