Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven

[weirdichi]

I was expecting a gunslinging action flick, but instead got a dramatic tale of cowboys and their gritty lives. Maybe that's where it went wrong, but I still just found this movie "meh" and not "Wow!"

I thoroughly enjoyed Tombstone, but this movie just wasn't there for me. It gave a different perspective on the cowboy life and how you can never escape it, but still left me unsatisfied. Anybody wanna turn my "meh" into a "Wow!"?

Also, there was no mention of Ned as being black at all in the film. Was he supposed to portray a white man, or did everybody in the whole movie just not notice that he was black?

 

[dabuddha]

I love the end when he's yelling in the town lol

 

[lozina]

It's just not a proper Clint Eastwood western if it's not an 'Italian spaghetti Western'

i.e.
The Good the Bad The Ugly
For a Few Dollars More
A Fistful of Dollars

....

 

[PottedMeat]

Munny: A man like me? The only woman a man like me can get is one he'd have to pay for. That ain't right, buyin' flesh. Claudia, God rest her soul, would never want me doin' something like that, me being a father and all.

Ned: So, you-you just use your hand?

Munny: I don't miss it all that much.

 

[Tobolo]

Ned Was Black?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[TheAdvocate]

Further proof that you cant teach taste.

Unforgiven is a fantastic movie with an ensemble cast. I love all the archetypical characters. Gene Hackman is as good or better than Eastwood. I love how he completely abuses that poser English Bob.

 

[Chunkee]

u be william munny from mizzoura!

 

[K1052]

Unforgiven was a fantastic film and a great western.
It had a real plot and great character development while maintaining excellent realism.

****spoiler below****













The end where he just freaking walks into the saloon where the posse is gathered to come after him was just incredible and one of my favorite scenes of all times.

"I don't deserve this... to die like this. I was building a house"

"Deserve's got nothin' to do with it"

"I'll see you in hell, William Munny"

"Yeah."

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: weirdichi
I was expecting a gunslinging action flick, but instead got a dramatic tale of cowboys and their gritty lives. Maybe that's where it went wrong, but I still just found this movie "meh" and not "Wow!"

I thoroughly enjoyed Tombstone, but this movie just wasn't there for me. It gave a different perspective on the cowboy life and how you can never escape it, but still left me unsatisfied. Anybody wanna turn my "meh" into a "Wow!"?

Also, there was no mention of Ned as being black at all in the film. Was he supposed to portray a white man, or did everybody in the whole movie just not notice that he was black?

The entire point of the film was to turn the traditional western concept on its head. It has the feel of a traditional western, but presented from an entirely new perspective. Go back and watch some of the classic spaghetti westerns and compare them to Unforgiven. You'll find that you could probably present those stories from a new angle and end up with a completely different opinion of the characters and their actions. That's the brilliance of Unforgiven.

 

[GasX]

Mister, you just shot an unarmed man!

Well, he should've armed himself, if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.

 

[weirdichi]

Originally posted by: MrChad

Originally posted by: weirdichi
I was expecting a gunslinging action flick, but instead got a dramatic tale of cowboys and their gritty lives. Maybe that's where it went wrong, but I still just found this movie "meh" and not "Wow!"

I thoroughly enjoyed Tombstone, but this movie just wasn't there for me. It gave a different perspective on the cowboy life and how you can never escape it, but still left me unsatisfied. Anybody wanna turn my "meh" into a "Wow!"?

Also, there was no mention of Ned as being black at all in the film. Was he supposed to portray a white man, or did everybody in the whole movie just not notice that he was black?

The entire point of the film was to turn the traditional western concept on its head. It has the feel of a traditional western, but presented from an entirely new perspective. Go back and watch some of the classic spaghetti westerns and compare them to Unforgiven. You'll find that you could probably present those stories from a new angle and end up with a completely different opinion of the characters and their actions. That's the brilliance of Unforgiven.

Yeah, I think my expectations for the movie let me down. Little Billy was great; I couldn't tell if he was the villain or the hero throughout the movie. Kinda makes me wonder if the hero/villain roles were switched between Little Billy and Munny.

Thanks! Makes me think a bit more about the movie. Now I gotta see Magnificent Seven.

 

[torpid]

It's definitely better if you have seen a lot of westerns from earlier years.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: weirdichi
I was expecting a gunslinging action flick, but instead got a dramatic tale of cowboys and their gritty lives. Maybe that's where it went wrong, but I still just found this movie "meh" and not "Wow!"

I thoroughly enjoyed Tombstone, but this movie just wasn't there for me. It gave a different perspective on the cowboy life and how you can never escape it, but still left me unsatisfied. Anybody wanna turn my "meh" into a "Wow!"?

Also, there was no mention of Ned as being black at all in the film. Was he supposed to portray a white man, or did everybody in the whole movie just not notice that he was black?

It's called creative license. You know, the whole idea of not focusing on some of the stupid things we've done in the past? Besides, the movie wasn't about Ned being black.

Here's a nice little summary I found online:

"One striking thing is the implicit irony that the characters, as ostensibly depicted, are to a one exactly opposite of their true nature, or of how they themselves want to be. The Schofield Kid, blustering braggadocio notwithstanding, is no killer. "I ain't like you Will," a chastened Kid says as he departs. And Little Bill Daggett remonstratively represents law, order, and justice, the supposed peace officer keeping the peace, is in truth corrupt and sadistically violent, unable to rise above his own vicious lawlessness. English Bob, the erstwhile cosmopolitan gunslinger, is a fraud and a coward to boot. And William Munney keeps saying he's a changed man, that he "ain't like that anymore." But, oh yeah, he is. The only honest character, the only compassionate character, is Ned Logan. He's the only one who kills no one, because of all of them, he really isn't like that, and yet he is the only one of the hired killers to get killed and to suffer the consequences of being a supposed killer.

To tell this story that plumbs the depths of human depravity, telling it convincingly, exploring various relative degrees of the human character, holding the requisite feet to the fire, and doing it all tightly in 131 minutes, Clint assembled great cast to work with: Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris. All are marvelous. The film is a masterpiece."

Watch it again in its entirety. Then report back.

 

[ValValline]

Some of the best and most insightful dialogue in any movie ever made is what makes Unforgiven so amazing. My favorite lines:

Bill Munny: Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'.
Bill Munny: We all got it comin', kid.

 

[Gravity]

Bill Munny: Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'.
Bill Munny: We all got it comin', kid.

It's one of the best movies Clint made. It's honest and pure.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: ValValline
Some of the best and most insightful dialogue in any movie ever made is what makes Unforgiven so amazing. My favorite lines:

Bill Munny: Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'.
Bill Munny: We all got it comin', kid.

Originally posted by: Gravity
Bill Munny: Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'.
Bill Munny: We all got it comin', kid.

It's one of the best movies Clint made. It's honest and pure.

Well isn't that adorable...

 

[b0mbrman]

Yes, Unforgiven is one of my favorite films. And you definitely do have to have seen or read about other westerns in order to get the full effect

Originally posted by: K1052
Unforgiven was a fantastic film and a great western.
It had a real plot and great character development while maintaining excellent realism.

So...how can you tell that it "maintain[ed] excellent realism?"

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Yes, Unforgiven is one of my favorite films. And you definitely do have to have seen or read about other westerns in order to get the full effect

Originally posted by: K1052
Unforgiven was a fantastic film and a great western.
It had a real plot and great character development while maintaining excellent realism.

So...how can you tell that it "maintain[ed] excellent realism?"

The people had flaws/age for one, everything didn't go smoothly, when someone got beat down they looked/acted it, confusion, mistakes, lots of missing going on, and more. It overall felt more like life than a movie script.

 

[Miramonti]

It got praise because it was Eastwoods first effort to portray personal humility in a movie. Clap clap. Other than that it was meh.

 

[GasX]

Jules Maximus, That quote is right on the Munney!

 

[beach2nd]

random guy in bar: "You just shot an unarmed man!"

clint: "Well, he should have armed himself."

 

[Fingolfin269]

I look at it like this. Anyone who starts any movie with expectations of a 'gun-slinging action flick' is more than likely going to be let down. Well, unless it's something cool like S.W.A.T.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Yes, Unforgiven is one of my favorite films. And you definitely do have to have seen or read about other westerns in order to get the full effect

Originally posted by: K1052
Unforgiven was a fantastic film and a great western.
It had a real plot and great character development while maintaining excellent realism.

So...how can you tell that it "maintain[ed] excellent realism?"

The people had flaws/age for one, everything didn't go smoothly, when someone got beat down they looked/acted it, confusion, mistakes, lots of missing going on, and more. It overall felt more like life than a movie script.

Ah, I thought you were saying it felt just like life back when you were a cowboy....

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: TheAdvocate
Further proof that you cant teach taste.

Unforgiven is a fantastic movie with an ensemble cast. I love all the archetypical characters. Gene Hackman is as good or better than Eastwood. I love how he completely abuses that poser English Bob.

Agreed. Unforgiven is an amazing movie. One of my favorites.

The theme song, which Eastwood also wrote the melody to, kicks ass as well.

 

[squirrel dog]

Josey Wales.