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Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman

Two retired sharp-shooters and a would-be gunslinger team up to claim a $1,000 reward for killing two cowboys who brutally disfigured a prostitute.

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91,234 ratings

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96% liked it

55 critics

R, 2 hrs. 11 min.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date: August 3, 1992

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DVD Release Date: March 26, 1997

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Stats: 5,738 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (5,738)

  • DrZeek
    November 5, 2009
    DrZeek
    Little Bill Daggett: Well, sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch! You just shot an unarmed man!
    Will Munny: Well, he should have armed himself if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend.

    Clint Eastwood has made a career out of portraying the Man with no Name in Serg...( read more)io Leone's Spaghetti Westerns. He was a tough bounty hunter, and other western characters feared him. Now he returns to his western roots on a deconstructionist level.

    Having been a career criminal on screen as a badass gunhand, Eastwood's character, with help from his now deceased wife, has now grown up and after "killing everything that walks," is now a simple man, with children, doing honest work on a pig farm. One day, a young kid claiming to be a gunfighter, informs Eastwood's character, William Munny, of a bounty made by prostitutes, to kill the cowboys that hurt one of there girls.

    Munny hasn't touched a gun or whiskey in years and may be sorry for what he had done in the past, but he decides to take one last job for the money and justifiable reasons. Munny goes to recruit his former partner, Ned Logan played by Morgan Freeman, and they team up with the kid to collect the bounty.

    Little Bill Daggett: Look son, being a good shot, being quick with a pistol, that don't do no harm, but it don't mean much next to being cool-headed. A man who will keep his head and not get rattled under fire, like as not, he'll kill ya. It ain't so easy to shoot a man anyhow, especially if the son-of-a-bitch is shootin' back at you.

    Meanwhile, Gene Hackman plays the hardened sheriff in charge of the town the others are headed for. Hackman may mean well in his own mind, but he is still an asshole. His character, Little Bill, has also clearly seen his share of dark days and a subplot involving another gunhand, English Bob played by Richard Harris, leads to even more revealing facts about the life of gunfighters.

    The different sets of characters eventually converge, leading to a meeting between aged gunfighters, with a retrospective handle on their lives.

    Will Munny: Any man don't wanna get killed better clear on out the back.

    The movie does a good job at paying tribute to the old days of the western, while still capturing tone, pace and violence of this type of film. The most interesting aspect of this film is how much it defies the logic of the older westerns. The film goes against the grain by having characters talk about actual concerns. There are simple scenes where side characters discuss the possibility of being afraid. Then there are scenes of Eastwood and Hackman both reflecting on what they've done in their pasts and what they think now.

    Bill Munny: It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have.

    Eastwood has had just as a good a career behind the camera as he has had in front of it, and pulling double duty here, he does a commendable job. The film also manages to supply a good score, great story and character development, and quality production values.

    All of the actors of course shine. Eastwood and Freeman have very natural chemistry. Hackman does great at supplying an antagonist in a western without going over-the-top. Other roles for the supporting parts also have the right feel to go along with the tone and overall ideas set up by the movie.

    An all around great film that reaches into themes of older westerns and their reality.

    Will Munny: What I said the other day, you looking like me, that ain't true. You ain't ugly like me, it's just that we both have got scars.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    A decent modern western but overhyped in my opinion!
  • garyX
    July 30, 2009
    garyX
    An ex-gunslinger comes out of retirement to collect the bounty on a pair of cowpokes who disfigured a young prostitute. Clint Eastwood directs and stars in a deconstruction of the myth of the old west that examines the kind of man who would exist in a society which provides mean ...( read more)drunks and arrogant, prideful boys with lethal weapons. Saul Rubinek's author of the romanticized versions of the stories provides the eyes through which the myths are dispelled as Gene Hackman reveals the truth behind them. But even Little Bill, himself little more than a brutal thug with delusions of grandeur, revels in his own exploits and it is only Eastwood's reformed killer who shows any shame or wish for redemption for his past actions. In the hostile environment of the American west it is not the most noble or even brave who thrive, but the most cold-blooded and the abilities of a gunslinger could be measured by something as arbitrary as the standard of his eyesight. Also containing comments on the gleeful pleasure the media glean from the violence of others and the consequences of murder, the intelligent, insightful script combines with masterful performances by some of the best actors of their generation to form one of the best westerns ever made and one of the high points of Eastwood's long career.
  • hypathio7
    July 22, 2009
    hypathio7
    This movie is about redemption and the fragile state in which that redemption can be lost again. This movie doesn't shy away from the prostitution and crime and murder of the wild west. Unlike most of the bright cheery TV westerns from the 60's and 70's, this movie doesn't glos...( read more)s over the sheer brutality that probably existed. It is about hero-worship and the exaggeration of tall tales. Saul Rubinek is not one of the four top billed actors on the poster and DVD cover, but I especially liked every scene in which he appeared. The idea of the writer creating the western myths amidst the brutality was very clever. The movie is about loss of innocence and what it takes to take a man's life. It's about impulsive youth and the quiet serenity and purpose that can be found later in life. Hackman plays an excellent character. It's a great symbol that he tries to build his own house. Everyone knows he is a crappy carpenter. In the same way, the west has very little connection to the laws of the east coast, so Hackman as the sheriff is free to make up his own rules. And he admits he'll be going to hell for what he's done, but still he bullies his town into staying under his control. He favors the rights of the cowboys over the rights of the prostitutes. The only people allowed to carry firearms in his town are his deputies and when he finds someone who legitimately missed the sign he has no qualms about kicking and beating them to a bloody pulp after removing their pistol. Eastwood seems to make an abrupt change when he decides he must exact revenge for his friend Freeman's death, but with the swig of alcohol, his character makes perfect scary sense.
  • TheMachinist
    July 20, 2009
    TheMachinist
    "I ain't like that no more. I ain't the same."

    1992 was the year when a true American movie icon became also one director close to my heart. 'Unforgiven', Clint Eastwood's career best movie, won the Academy Award for best picture, an award that finally found its right taker. Thi...( read more)s western masterpiece is a film that has aged well, it only gets better the more you see it or the "older" it gets.

    "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have."

    Clint Eastwood plays William Munny, an old retired gunslinger, now a pig farmer. After several years of mischief and mayhem, Munny got married, got kids and straightened his life, mostly thanks to his beloved wife. Now with his wife dead, Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, to get a fresh new start to his children. During the movie, we are presented to a scared man who has to live with the sins of his past. Will he once again become the man he used to be?

    "You'd be William Munny out of Missouri. Killer of women and children.
    - That's right. I've killed women and children. I've killed just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned."

    'Unforgiven' features an all-star cast consisting of such well-known talents as Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris and Frances Fisher, who's always a delight to see. Clint Eastwood is not the only one giving a career best performance. The same can be said of Gene Hackman. Hackman won his second Academy award for his portrayal of Little Bill Daggett, a viscious sheriff who has no remorse for those whom he consider to be outlaws. This film would probably not have achieved the same status it has now without its cast. Simply marvelous performances not only by those who are big names but also by the supporting cast.

    What I also love and hold as a true masterpiece, that should be taught to all who study writing, is the script written by David Peoples ('Blade Runner'). The biggest mistake that films have, is that they consist of several cliché filled scenes. There are several scenes that fight against this. First of all, there's no remarks of racism. Morgan Freeman's character is equal to all other characters in the movie and one of the biggest reasons to the films climax. The fight scenes and rest of the scenes where they finally settle their score look and feel so authentic. No "Bullet-time" bullshit or men jumping behind the counter. Everything seems so authentic, just like the dialogue. Here's a clip from one of my favourite 'Unforgiven' scenes:

    "I'm dyin' boys. Jesus, I'm so thirsty.
    - Give him a drink of water, goddamn it! Will you give him a drink of water, for Christ's sake? We ain't gonna shoot."

    The dialogue makes the persons, especially William Munny, characters that will live on forever. Munny represents a genuine anti-hero, a person who lives by his moral and own beliefs. A friend you might wanna have beside you when things get messy.

    Leonard Niehaus, who has done several scores for Eastwood's films, supports the film with a minimalistic score, mostly consisting of a guitar, that sounds simple but satisfies those who consider the score to be a big element of a film. I am such a person and hold this score as one of my favourite scores.

    Jack Green's cinematography, also a person Eastwood has worked several times with, is simply marvelous. The colors of the film are something special, reminding me of spring with its beautiful brown and dark colors. The way he also uses the light effects (or the lack of it) give an extra feeling to the movie. For example the final scene when Munny rides to the darkness. Or the last 15 minutes of the film. Gave me goose bumps...

    Before 'Unforgiven', it seemed as Eastwood would've been stuck to make mediocre cop thrillers. This film pretty much changed his career. After this film, Eastwood has made several high-class movies like 'A Perfect World', 'Mystic River', 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Gran Torino', just to name a few. But in the end, 'Unforgiven remains as, not only his best movie but also one of the best and greatest achievements in the history of movies.
  • odonoghuematthew
    November 20, 2009
    odonoghuematthew
    Best Directing 1992 - Best Actor 1992
  • tyb323
    November 19, 2009
    tyb323
    Some of clint eastwood's best lines are in this movie...
  • sweller1735
    November 18, 2009
    sweller1735
    Not as good as Pale rider but....
    Gene Hackman is very vocal about his hatred of violence but everyrole he takes (-1 or2) is a violent, soulless, character
  • srrutledge1175
    November 11, 2009
    srrutledge1175
    "I thought I was dead then I realized I was in Nebraska"
  • mundo20002000
    November 2, 2009
    mundo20002000
    Eastwood Classic to see.

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Critic Reviews

May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Conveys the power of the Western genre's myths ... as well as the ugly, unromantic realities that lurk behind them. full review

August 3, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

That implacable moral balance, in which good eventually silences evil, is at the heart of the Western, and Eastwood is not shy about saying so. full review

May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

In three decades of climbing into the saddle, Eastwood has never ridden so tall. full review

View more Unforgiven reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • davemcbride123
    January 31, 2008
    davemcbride123
    A terrible film absolutely devoid of any emotional connection with the characters or events. Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freedman slogged it out to deliver the most wooden performance but Clint clinched it by relying almost solely on the phrase "Goddam it" to explore his characters emotional range. The cliched arrogant youth was irritating beyond belief for all the wrong reasons. Gene Hackman was alright I guess but what did we learn about his character aside from fact that he loves the law, has a penchant for violence and is rubbish at carpentry. Yawn! We saw too little of Richard Harris too.

    How this was even nominated for best picture never mind won beggars belief. Eastwood set out to film a story played out in a moral vaccuum, he managed to create an empathy and interest vaccuum in this viewer.

    Perhaps time hasn't been kind to this movie. Compare this to 2007s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and its shortcomings are starkly evident.
  • catherine1151
    April 1, 2007
    catherine1151
    what can i say about this man eastwood , and the film unforgiven but brill from begining to the end good one clint . catherine xxx
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Unforgiven Trivia

  • Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" is dedicated to which two legendary directors?  Answer »
  • In what movie did Steven Seagal NOT play in.  Answer »
  • Which actor played retired cowboy William Munny in Oscar winning 1992 film Unforgiven?  Answer »
  • True or false: Clint Eastwood won an academy award for best picture for Unforgiven  Answer »
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