Unforgiven - Movie Forums

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I searched for a thread on this movie but found nothing.

This movie in my opinion is completely exceptional. The directing and the acting are top notch in my book. 4 actors giving great performances: Eastwood, Freeman, Harris, and of course Hackman.

What does everyone else think of this movie?

Loved it too.. But one of these days I hope to watch it again.

Love the ending.

Yeah I just watched it for the second time now and it really seems to be even better than the first time I watched it.

In my top 5. The ending was brilliant, it gave me goose bumps. No one can do pure intimidation like Clint! :)

One of the, very few, Westerns I really like. Brilliant film.

It's overrated and over hyped.

Originally Posted by Powdered Water (Post 631777)

It's overrated and over hyped.

How did I know that's what you were going to say?

Perhaps you're related to Psychic Isaac.

http://mdurisotti.files.wordpress.co...nforgiven2.jpg

Damn near perfect, and undoubtedly Eastwood's masterpiece. Check out the Eastwood-as-director thread HERE

I second that. That is a terrific thread Holden has there. I actually just watched this flick again a few weeks back and I continue to think it is the best western I have seen, even though I need to really get caught up in the western department. I also saw Eastwood's Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter again. Eastwood is the *****.

One of the all time greats.

Originally Posted by rauldc14 (Post 631758)

Liked Hackman's performance. And the Jewish guy playing the writer. But I was less impressed with the film than most, even though it was more realistic than most Westerns in that in the real west, they never gave an opponent an even break if they could shoot him in the outhouse.

Guess I've just seen Eastwood play too many tough, silent cowboys. Didn't think Freeman had much to do, but oddly enough enjoyed Harris's small bit.

Either way, this movie is in my top 3 for Eastwood movies acting, and top 5 for directing

I'd be interested to know which Clint Eastwood films you've watched.

I agree that this flick is just about as close to a perfect film as you'll find. I like The Outlaw Josey Wales almost as much, even though it's not on the same level of craftsmanship as Unforgiven.

Fantastic film. Not more you can say really. Eastwood peaked with Unforgiven imo. The ending is epic and the dialogue flows beautifully. I really like the scene where The Kid breaks down and Eastwood tells him you know what.

I actually prefer Josey Wales, even though Clint had to sub as director, and it's probably not as personal or as "important". I just think it's a "better time at the movies". However, I give Unforgiven

, and anybody who knows me understands that's closer to a

for most people, so I think it's damn fine.

I need to see this again. I saw it only once in the theatre, and I remember being very unimpressed. Hmmm... I wonder if I was having a bad night? :eek:

Unforgiven Review

Dark, brooding, and very well made.

Unforgiven is the story of Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood), an old man with two kids and a deceased wife. Munny is a family man at the time we meet him, but he was also a ruthless outlaw at one time. His wife straightened him out and set him on the right path, making him a good man with a family. He's given up all the ways of his troubled past. His wife passed away, but he stays true to her, mostly. One day, a young man named the "Schofield Kid" (Jaimz Woolvett) tells Bill about 2 men who cut up a prostitute and have a bounty set on them. Bill is hesitant at first, but eventually decides to go, so he has more money to support his children. Bill finds his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and has him come along with him to help. The three of them go to collect this bounty and a number of different events ensue. Now that I've talked about the main story, let's discuss acting.

Clint Eastwood was good in this role. I wouldn't say phenomenal, but he was good. The character at times didn't seem to have much purpose except to move the story along. His character did not necessarily have any qualities that made him particularly interesting, other than his constant devotion to his wife. The final scenes with him are bone chilling though, and you really see a huge character change.

Morgan Freeman was also good. He is very rarely bad in a role, he's just a good actor. I also wish his character had more development and qualities that deem the character memorable. But for the part he was given, Freeman did a good job.

I didn't mention this before but Gene Hackman plays Little Bill Dagget, the town sheriff. His performance was great. In some scenes he is calm and charismatic and comes off as a good guy. But then we see him in other scenes, where he is ruthless and brutal. The constant change between these two makes his character particularly scary. You don't know what to expect of him, even with his friendly demeanor. Hackman was great, and even won an Oscar for his role.

I found the Schofield Kid character to be rather annoying. Constantly talking and asking questions, and often times trying to be better than the other characters. Plus, he kind of has a high pitched voice. I didn't like this character all that much, even though I can see why they chose to make his character like that, so they can show how nieve he is.

The camera work and lighting was good in this film, especially in the end. The lighting really helps to set the mood and make the story much darker.

Other than some problems with characters, there were some other issues in the film. Strong language doesn't offend me in films, but there are times when it feels out of place. Unforgiven is one such time that strong language is out of place. For a western, theses characters sure do cuss a lot and talk like modern day people. It really took me out of the moment sometimes and I found it distracting and unnecessary. Also, some of the dialogue is not too well written at times. I felt that some of the conversations and lines in the movie felt stiff and not real. And there's one time that someone walks out of a house and yells "Assassins!" and it just seemed cartoony to me. Not all of the dialogue was bad, just certain parts of it.

Overall, Unforgiven is an interesting western. Most of the performances were good, but Gene Hackman's performance stands out. The final scene is brilliant and dark and I think it really threw the audience for a loop. It is rather unexpected and it changes how you look at the movie. I loved the cynical message at the end, it fits really well with the overall tone of the film. Other than some characters that weren't written too well and some stiff dialogue, Unforgiven is a good film. Well made and an interesting ending. I reccomend it for any Eastwood fans or fans of Westerns.

Nice review and I'm glad you at least enjoyed it, even though I don't particularly agree with it. I consider Unforgiven to be a rare masterpiece; perfect in just about every way. And when mentioning the acting in Unforgiven, don't leave out Richard Harris and his small, but spectacular role.