Clint Eastwood's latest film, Unforgiven (Warner Bros., 1992) has beautiful shots of Canada (set in Wyoming, filmed in Calgary), a few violent scenes, some wonderful acting, a title with a dual meaning, and an identity problem.
Written by David Webb Peoples, produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven tells the story of William Munny (East-wood), a legendary outlaw who, when the film opens, had married 12 or 13 years earlier and put down his guns for the shovel of a pig farmer. But Munny's saintly wife has died, leaving him with two children and a herd of sick pigs.
The Schofield Kid, an obnoxious young gunslinger (Jaimz Woolvett), arrives at the squalid Munny farm and tries to entice the melancholy reformed man to join him on a mission of revenge. The reward is too good to pass up, so Munny leaves his children and rides off to ask his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to accompany him. Despite the silent but strong protest of Logan's Indian wife, the two take off to find the Kid.
The plan doesn't go well: Munny fumbles getting on a horse; the Kid has lousy eyesight for a gunman; Logan loses his ability to shoot at people. And then there's a sadistic sheriff, Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman), to contend with.
The movie has an identity problem because it tries to be a "different" kind of Western, one that shows the futility of violence and the emotional turmoil that violence creates. However, the film contradicts itself - with, for instance, its anti-gun control stance. (The NRA should love this movie; the script shouts "Personal freedom demands the right to bear arms!") There is a "Haven't we had enough bloodshed for one night?" speech, which is refreshing, except that it's given by the psychotic and unjust sheriff. Also, Unforgiven's last 10 minutes are troubling for viewers who hoped that Munny's pacifist wife had some lasting influence on him. The message is depressing and clear: You can be a Real Man and preach that killing is bad, but to prove yourself, pull that trigger.
The shots of the expansive prairies are beautiful to watch, and Eastwood, Freeman, Hackman, and Frances Fisher (playing Strawberry Alice, the leader of the town prostitutes) are terrific actors. The influence of Munny's dead wife is an interesting topic, and the objectification of the prostitutes and the mytholization of gunfighters are compelling subjects. Unforgiven is a good movie with much to say, but its message is disappointing.
Judy Coode was a freelance writer living in Washington, D.C., when this review appeared.
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