Unforgiven

Release Year: 1992
Review:

I'm not a fan of westerns. I was told that Unforgiven is a film that transcends its genre, and would make me appreciate the western. Unfortunately, 'Unforgiven' didn't make me fall in love westerns, but I was able to appreciate the strong characters that this film produces. The setting, acting and other western cliches got under my skin at times, and I did have issues with much of the plot. I have a hard time connecting with a movie where I'm supposed to sympathize with an evil man doing evil things, now matter how it is presented to me. Regardless, this film is all about the characters, and Eastwood gives a phenomenal performance as an old, tormented cowboy who wishes he could escape his demons of his past. He and Gene Hackman, as Bill Daggett, create a sense of cowboy awe, where you feel as though they are superhuman. They supersede normal men and are capable of doing things that no human should be able to do. All the while they show a certain amount of vulnerability which shows that they are human, if only a few moments of weakness. Watching these men you can't help but feel as the biographer feels; wanting know their past and gawking at their feats. I can't say that this film made love westerns, but it certainly made me appreciate the impact of a few really great performances can make on an otherwise mediocre film.

Rating: 4/5