Unforgiven (1992)

“It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have.” – Bill Munny

Number of Times Seen – Between 5 and 10 (Theater 31 Oct 1992, DVD, 10 Jul 2013)

Brief Synopsis – A retired gunslinger is hired to kill 2 cowboys who cut a prostitute in the old west.

My Take on it – I love how Clint Eastwood just continued on the right path once he started getting too old to carry a movie. After 30 years as a star actor, he started to direct and quickly became a star director also. He has excelled in so many fields as a movie maker that it’s amazing. He’s even a composer.

His movies as a director have been better received than his movies as an actor.  This movie in particular was a way of him showing his peers that he has found a way to transcend his previous work and show how much he had matured as a movie-maker.

Eastwood’s performance in front of the camera was great also, but eh was outshone by Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris and Gene Hackman (who won an Oscar for his role here).

This is not a fast paced western, but it really tries to show how justice does (and doesn’t) work in the old west.

Winner of 4 Oscars (out of 9); Picture, Director, Best Supporting Actor (Hackman) and Film Editing.

It lost Cinematography, Screenplay, Actor (Eastwood), Art Direction and Sound.

One of the best “modern” westerns ever made. Highly Recommended!!

Bottom Line – Excellent “modern” western. Eastwood is great as a Director and as an actor.

Rating – Oscar Worthy