Posted on 06/16/2008 7:31:04 AM PDT by Apollo 13
Hi everyone - being a relative newbie, I could yet not resist this one: yesterday I saw 'Unforgiven' by Clint Eastwood for the first time. To start: I found it a stunningly good movie. It's been labelled as 'the very last western', or if you will, a revisionist version of trad western fare. I'd agree with both comments; but at the same time it's not out of step with tradional storytelling. What makes it special for me is the deep humanity in it all. Women of low standing are heroines; Clint stays true to the one woman that once saved his life spiritually; yes, he's doomed to return to his old habits, but only because of his deep friendship for the murdered Ned Logan. And Gene Hackman is a superb Little Bill, the sheriff that goes to, ahem, great lengths to keep his small town clean of thugs (irony intended). So IMHO, one to watch again. I wonder: what is the consensus at FR on this one (if there is one?). Many, many comments are welcome! Cheers, A13.
There was a line about that in the movie: “No one’s innocent” or something like that.
The scene where he’s counseling the kid to take his time in a gunfight mirrors John Wayne’s advice in the `The Shootist.’ And of course, Little Bill’s comment about hell and Nebraska.
Great movie, but no orangutans! Welcome to FR new guy.
I think so.
I love the movie. A little long, but very much a harder, more graphic version of one of Eastwood's old "Spaghetti Westerns." The "Little Bill" character is one of the worst villains in the movies, exceeded only by Daniel Day Lewis as "The Butcher" in "Gangs of NY" and by his Plainview character in "There Will Be Blood."
Did that guy have dramatic range or what.
Open Range does have a great gun fight near the end.
Charley: “You the one killed our friend?” Butler: “That’s right. I shot the boy, too. And I enjoyed it”.
BANG!!! Charley draws, and shoots Butler right between the eyes.
Of course like all Costner films he drags it on for another 15 minutes after the climax fight scene. Costner needs a good film editor.
I agree that no one was innocent. But there is a difference between an evil streak and the embodiment of evil. Little Bill ran that town with ruthless abandon.
He told the whores essentially, "Too Bad".
He tormented the writer Beauchamp.
He beat the s**t out of Munny and English Bob.
Hell, he beat Ned to death. What do you call that?
Little Bill was a Nazi before there were Nazi's.
That is why we all enjoyed Munny killing him and his minions at the end.
One of my favorite movies of all times.
On my last trip down to South America the local theater showed the old version subtitled that contained all of the politically incorrect words now doomed by liberals to have the wrong flavor.
Also +1 on Unforgiven
You left off the greatest western of all time, Blazing Saddles!!
yeah I suppose....but it is a comedy and I include it my top ten comedy’s
My favorite line from the movie:
Gene Hackman (Daggett): I was building a house...
Unforgiven is a fantastic movie. One of the best ever.
I like just about all of Clint's movie's. My pick for best is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. epic, wide sweeping but with character development that was perfect.
“Unforgiven” is good. I’ve always felt that “The Outlaw Josey Wales” is by far his all-time best movie, but I really did enjoy “Unforgiven”.
But,... I am sort of a Western junkie. I even love the bad ones, so maybe my perspective is a bit skewed.
In movies women of low standing are ALWAYS heroes, or at the very least, highly sympathetic characters, and the “hooker with a heart of gold” (this movie’s full of them) is just about the oldest chiche in the world.
What? No Silverado?
Maybe not the most accurate western but I always thought it was pretty good nevertheless!
The parts were better than the whole. IMHO, of course.
“Unforgiven” is a very good movie, but I thought “Open Range” was GREAT!!! A very beautifully filmed picture... lots of landscapes and wide shots. Very pleasing in HD.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.