UNFORGIVEN (1992) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

[@TwistedSither]

I've seen Unforgiven about 25, or 30 times, but never get tired of it. Classic Eastwood.

[@PaulSchober]

Me too. My favorite western.

[@MrRondonmon]

Yes, its a great movie, but not the kind of Western she should have started off with. I think "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with James Stewart and the Duke or even Cat Ballou would have been a better choice, I don't think Maverick as it was made was really a western, it is, but it isn't if you know what I mean. Unforgiven is a little to harsh to start down the trail. Josey Wales would have been better. The Mag. 7 etc. I love Unforgiven, but my wife hates it. But then again I love every Clint movie, LOL.

[@fredfredburger5150]

It's been over 30 years since I first saw this movie. Seems like every decade I watch it there's a different story being told.

[@etpelle72]

The scene at the tree was incredible.

[@calchambers605]

@@MrRondonmon You're absolutely right. At the intro when she said she's never watched a Clint Eastwood film but has seen his son in stuff... I instantly realized that it wasn't going to be a great experience for her. I think... McLintock (which has weird spelling that I had to google) or El Dorado or Rio Bravo would have been a good start. The fun westerns with a happy ending. That being said, The Outlaw Josey Wales is hands down my favorite western ever. Magnificent Seven is 2nd. Not the new one. It was ok. But Steve and Yul were better.

[@bguzewi0]

"Well he should have armed himself, if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend." So many great lines in this movie. One of the best westerns ever made.

[@cog4life]

Great line, Yes!!

[@spiveym]

THE best western ever made!

[@renzero9206]

Unforgiven is, imo, the greatest western made (and there is some serious contenders for sure). I remember reading Eastwood waited 10 years to make the film so that he could be nearer the age of his character. Absolute classic movie, with an amazing cast and performances.

[@billr3724]

It might be Eastwood’s best western. Another western contender is “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper. Like “Unforgiven”, it’s a slow building movie where the tension escalates towards the big shootout at the end. Cooper is excellent in it.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

There's a reason why Westerns declined after this. It's hard for a genre to keep going once you've made the perfect film.

[@rollomaughfling380]

". . . when I got (the script for) "Unforgiven" in the early '80s I put it in a drawer for 10 years, I'd done a bunch of Westerns, I thought I should do some other things first. Then 10 years later I picked it up and re-read it and it felt fresh." David Webb Peoples had written it off as a failure. What Clint did (which is remarkable) was make the film without changing a single line from People's original screenplay, which almost never happens in filmmaking.

[@yeomantrader9505]

@@billr3724 High Noon doesn't hold a candle to Unforgiven. Cooper doesn't hold a candle to the Duke. He is a 1960s coward. There is only contrast.

[@cjwright79]

​​@@billr3724y'all seen Pale Rider? highest grossing western of the eighties, and in my view the only one that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Unforgiven. Also starring Clint Eastwood, this time as a preacher.

[@scottybelle9]

Gene Hackman didn't want to do the film. He was tired of being typecast in violent roles. Eastwood asked him to reconsider, telling him that the script was about the effects of violence rather than the thrill. Hackman won best supporting actor for the role.

[@dallesamllhals9161]

Yeah! L. Bill was 'nice' ..when house...porch 'n all!!

[@ariochiv]

Yes, and the Oscar was well-deserved. Hackman made Little Bill both terrifying and compelling.

[@jmolony31]

I was going to make this same comment. This and Grand Torino take the archetypal characters that Clint made famous and turned them upside down.

[@distinguishedflyer]

He'd been considered for the role of Hannibal Lector, but had declined it for precisely that reason.

[@warre1]

Well, Gene did similar bad guy role three years after this in The Quick and the Dead.

[@Britcarjunkie]

Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, and Gene Hackman: tough to beat a cast of legends.

[@cobbler88]

Michael Cera, Brie Larson, Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman. Check. Mate. Just fucking with you. :)

[@stvdagger8074]

@@cobbler88 Scott Pilgrim fan?

[@cobbler88]

@@stvdagger8074 There are just some movies that just kind of stumbled into having eveyone in them. Only a few of them were really well known at the time, although almost none would have been unknown.

[@windandcloudshadow158]

@@cobbler88 You are hilarious XD.

[@joshythehand2960]

Hackman stole the movie. One of his best performances.. although seen as the antagonist.. in reality the sheriff was right. Doing what he thought was right in a tough world. The first cowboy killed did nothing.. nothing. All he did was give the ladies his best horse. He never hurt a girl..

[@opkearney]

This movie, in my opinion, contains a highly realistic analysis of an actual gun fight, when Little Bill discusses the merits of being a successful gunfighter with W.W. Beauchamp at the jail… and it perfectly translated to the climax and ending scene where William Munny was calm, cool, and collected with a bottle of Whiskey running through his veins during the end gunfight. His opponents, including Little Bill, were not calm, rushed their shots and missed, and they all paid for it dearly.

[@jmweed1861]

That is totally correct, I do living history at Tombstone and it is not the fastest who can draw, but the steadiness nerves. And be0 able to actually kill another person, as that young kid found out.

[@TheReaper236]

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

[@sonofvideo4696]

@@TheReaper236 this

[@redbeard8435]

"Deserves got nothing to do with it" "we all got it coming kid" "it's a hell of a thing taking a man's life you take all he's got and all he's ever going to have". The quotes in this movie are legendary.

[@cjwright79]

written by David Webb Peoples, also responsible for the re-write, the second revision, on the legendary Blade Runner. Considering these have pretty much the finest dialog, most authentic back-and-forths in any movie, in any catalog, I gotta hand it to him and say he's the finest screenwriter to ever sit at a typewriter in Hollywood.

[@30noir]

deserve's*

[@Astronurd]

​@@30noirWhat? Deserve is?? It's deserves!

[@jumpcutreviews1545]

"It's a hell of a thing killing a man, you take away all he's got... And all he's ever gonna have." -One of the greatest lines ever written. Gives me chills every time.

[@YoureMrLebowski]

Chills every time

[@vpreggie]

I get goosebumps when William Munny says, “We all got it coming, kid.” And even more so when in response to “You just killed an unarmed man.” He says “Well he shoulda armed himself if he’s gunna decorate his saloon with my friend.”

[@jimmykarlsson2567]

@@vpreggie "whos the fella who owns this shithole " One of the most badass movies of all time

[@jasonme3557]

Yea it is.

[@gabrielplattes6253]

@@jimmykarlsson2567 Totes! It is the line I remember foremost. ✌😄

[@stevenreyngold1166]

"The sheriff was like this really mean man, but he wanted to build a porch." I freaking died. I love your commentary, it's precious.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

It was going to be an evil porch though.

[@TheRealGunWhisperer]

She's got a big heart you can tell lol bless her

[@OgreProgrammer]

@@theevilascotcompany9255 What porch isn't, really?

[@JH-sj4pf]

Yeah but the angles on that porch 🙄

[@kylerobb8066]

"You just shot an unarmed man!" "Well he should've armed himself." I love that scene so much.

[@averagesavage4728]

Little Bill Daggett: Well, sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch! You just shot an unarmed man! Will Munny: Well, he should have armed himself if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend. Greatest scene in cinema history imo. Most iconic dialog ever and quotable. "Who's the fella owns this shit hole? You fat man. Speak up." LittleBill: I'll see you in hell William Munny. Will: Yeah.

[@philipmay3548]

You recognized the priest in Count of Monte Cristo as Dumbledore, but you missed him here as English Bob. Richard Harris was an amazing actor, RIP.

[@mkward19]

And Emperor from Gladiator

[@cinemaniac78]

Also, she will have seen him as Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator. To be honest, while I knew he was English Bob, I still had a slight doubt while watching and looked it up again to confirm as he looks and feels so different to those performances a decade later. Of course, that's also Arthur in Camelot (1967), and even though there are several other films I have seen him in, there are so many I have yet to see. He had quite a career!

[@petersvillage7447]

There's a lovely detail to his performance that may be lost on some non-UK viewers: when he's being kicked out of town, he's shouting in a recognisably lower-class accent, different to the fake-aristocratic voice he'd been using up to that point. One more layer of fraudulence to the man...

[@cinemaniac78]

@@petersvillage7447 Thanks for that information; I really do love how there are so many layers to quite a few characters in this film!

[@etpelle72]

He also had some of the greatest drunk stories with peter o’toole

[@TeamBonestorm]

Cassie about to start Unforgiven after watching Maverick: “I think we’re gonna have fun!” Me: “Oh no…”

[@kevsim70]

My favorite small detail in this movie is that through the entire film, any time someone asks Will a question, he always answers it with something like "Maybe," "I guess," "I reckon," etc. But then at the end, at the last moment with Little Bill, when Little Bill says, "I'll see you in hell, William Munney," there is absolutely no equivocation whatsoever with his answer, when he just says "Yeah" before firing that last shot. He expresses some doubt over literally everything else, but on whether or not he's damned? He has no doubts whatsoever.

[@grinningchicken]

Did you notice his horses color. I never thought about it until he was leaving the town

[@darrensmith6408]

@@grinningchicken You see Clint on a pale horse? Go the other way!

[@OgreProgrammer]

Mine are the little jokes(from the audience's perspective) that don't hardly get a laugh, swamped immediately by the gravity of the situation, like "Letters and such?" Little details that nevertheless colour the world; the gunfighters are not learned men, and don't have world views much bigger than their lives.

[@willesnille]

Love this movie but never noticed. Thanks for that observation.

[@pancakebreakfast3188]

Will was indecisive because he was suffering from hypogonadism due to years of alcohol abuse, which led to testicular damage. Later on, Will was more decisive with his answers because he was back to drinking whiskey. Alcohol increases dopamine, and dopamine increases testosterone.

[@muchachonextdoor5608]

The fact that you didn't know who to root for is the point. The line "we all have it coming" and "deserves got nothing to do with it" sum up the fact that all of us have our faults, our dark places. It's a heavy movie for sure. If you want a fun western with clearer good and bad guys check out Silverado. I think you'd really like that one. Plus a young Kevin Costner is in it.

[@vodengc520]

And if she wants even MORE Western Costner, she can also check out Wyatt Earp.

[@mgabbard]

Yes - She will really like Silverado. Unforgiven is one of the best westerns ever.

[@wolfofthewest8019]

Yes, if there was one Western I could pick for Cassie to watch, it would be Silverado. It's one of the best introductions to the genre ever.

[@crypastesomemore8348]

The reason it is difficult to know who to root for is the film’s narrative, which makes you sympathize with the protagonist. If you analyze the plot and characters, Little Bill is more or less the good guy.

[@pressman1788]

Crossfire Trail with Tom Selleck is also a great western in my opinion.

[@lukemacdougall9372]

I saw this movie in the theatre when it was released. I had no idea what I was in for. The theatre was SOOO quiet after that final scene, it was magical the impact it had on everyone. This movie just gets better and better with age.

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

I agree. I saw this in theatrical release. It was a hard film to watch but the ending was horrific. The audience just sat there in stunned silence. They foreshadowed the ending when Bill said in his delirium that he saw the angle of death. He was the angle of death in the end.

[@launchsquid]

Unforgiven is the "anti-western", the end of the genres. The film is brilliant, it spends it's whole long run time telling you the myth of the gun slinger and of William Money in particular, meanwhile it spends that whole run time showing you that it's all fiction, that there is no glory in that, that it's uglier then the stories make out, that it isn't brave and noble, it's horrible and mean. We see William as a washed up recovering drunk, in mourning, hardly able to look after his kids, bad at farming, hardly able to ride a horse, suffering from PTSD and he can't even shoot straight. He is so obviously not the guy they're mythologizing from the past. But that last scene, when the camera pulls back and you see his shotgun... William Money is every inch the monster they made him out to be, and he isn't the good guy that rides off on his white steed into the sun set (although he is on a white steed), he is terrifying and ruthless, not a hero. I really love this film.

[@yaimavol]

Yep, there were no real gunfights in the streets to see who was the fastest draw. That was all invented by Hollywood, and it really is interesting how obsessed they were with Westerns in the 50's.

[@sup9542]

It was so easy to shoot people in the old Westerns, but Unforgiven changes that perception, shows how ugly and complicated it is.

[@grf73tube]

Perfect description! I loved this movie from the first time I saw it, back in the early 90’s, but I could never put into words exactly why, in order to tell others why they should watch it. It always seemed to me that most westerns up until this one, were a bit cartoonish in the way they depicted the characters and story.

[@yaimavol]

@@sup9542 We are not made to kill each other, which is why war is so unnatural and really forced on us by elites. Let Putin and Biden fight over Ukraine. Leave us out of it

[@73jefft]

Very well said

[@RyJsLn]

This movie was the best slant on a Western I've ever seen. It's goal was to take away any glamour associated with being a gun fighter and show the realistic human side of it. Eastwood is amazing.

[@Zenbuck2]

It was really a deconstruction of classic westerns. It had been done before, with films that played with the old tropes such as High Noon in 1952, but none as explicitly as this film. The fact that Eastwood had been in the New Wave of westerns in the 60s and 70s meant that he was uniquely qualified to direct and star in Unforgiven.

[@darthsaren6519]

@@Zenbuck2 yep well said. And if you think about it his movie is probably much closer to reality than other westerns- glamour type.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

HBO's Deadwood, all 3 seasons (not the movie) was probably the most realistic western ever imo. I think Unforgiven was made as a semi-tribute to John Wayne's opinion that Eastwood westerns portrayed violent murderous thugs.

[@wolfgang017]

Most underrated scene when one of the women is telling William what Ned said to the sheriff about all the stuff William did and Schofield kid started to see who he really was. One of the best westerns and Clint’s best performance

[@gutz1981]

"Would you like a free one?" When I was young and saw this movie, that scene did not mean much to me. But watching that scene again, I almost cried, in that now I am older I feel I understand the sadness behind not being wanted anymore and the more I think about this movie, I feel more and more sorry for Delilah, not that I did not before for what happened to her. But in that everyone, even her friends no longer really cares what she thinks about or this or how she feels. The scene where she was offered a horse was also sad in that, perhaps she wanted something beautiful to be offered to her for what happened and not all this death. I just think the way she delivered her line and how sad and lonely the actress played that role, broke my heart.

[@raelshark]

She was really amazing. And even more heartbreaking to think how she probably didn't have any other options out there. It's a great point that even her friends/coworkers were wrapped up in the mystique of violent revenge.

[@KevyNova]

I always imagine that when she’s being offered the horse, she’s thinking about riding it in the open and feeling happy again but then her “friends” chase them away.

[@gutz1981]

@@raelshark There is a massive sadness for such a person. She most likely grew up poor and uneducated or perhaps even abandoned. Her "Last" option in what she did, is no longer the option it once was. I would like to think somehow, she was able to go find happiness. One could argue, that 1000 could have been better spent for this woman to be given to her directly to start a new life. Perhaps open a store or start a ranch. But instead, it went to a murder. This is such a sad movie the more I think about it.

[@gutz1981]

@@KevyNova True. I can imagine as a little girl she dreamed of one day owning such a lovely horse. It was definitely no replacement for what happened to her, but at least some joy should have come her way. I don't think she will ever come close to that sort of happiness again. This movie hurts. Well done to the actress. Wish she had a better career.

[@PaulGuy]

@@raelshark It's super smart, because it shows how everyone gets caught up in things around them. The other women wanted "revenge", but not for anything that happened to them. What they really wanted was punishment enough that no one would think about hurting THEM later. Little Bill and the brothel owner thought about the financial implications of it. No one bothered to think about the girl who actually got hurt, and what she wanted.

[@theviciouschickenofbristol4779]

The part where the kid starts crying realizing the reality of taking human life is one of my favorite parts of any movie. I've never seen any other movie capture that kind of realization as well.

[@Johnny_Socko]

In a movie with many brilliant scenes and passages, that is the one I think of the most. I honestly thought Jaimz Woolvett was going to have a huge career based on his performance in this movie. It takes a lot of skill to hold your own among a cast of legends like this.

[@lauce3998]

Idem. This is what makes it special about others.

[@jameshitt3263]

@@Johnny_Socko No kidding. Even if his career didn't take off, that was a performance even the most seasoned actor would be proud to make.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

Jaimz Woolvett should have got an Academy Award for his acting of The 'Schofield Kid'. Outstanding acting.

[@stevenm.6886]

This feels like the most realistic western I’ve ever seen. Killing is made to have a price attached. The fear and regret are palpable. My second favorite western is True Grit, with John Wayne if course! A true classic 👍🏼

[@GUNNER67akaKelt]

I like the sequel 'Rooster Cogburn' just a bit more.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

HBO's Deadwood & Once Upon A Time IN The West are the most realistic also imo. The new "1883" Paramount+ show also is very realistic.

[@fightingfortruth9806]

Wait, you guys made her watch Unforgiven as her second western ever? What the heck is wrong with you guys? This should have been 20 movies down the road.

[@hannaro]

Haha, truth. Make her watch like Rio Bravo or sonething first.

[@corryjamieson3909]

I want her to watch the Dollars trilogy.

[@lapelcelery42]

Now she never has to watch another one

[@richardmcelheney6430]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!

[@DeltaAssaultGaming]

It’s like making someone read The Dark Knight Returns before they’ve read any Batman comics.

[@TomJones-uw9bf]

Westerns are at their heart morality tales and Unforgiven takes that to the next level. The reality is that sometimes there is no clear right and wrong like there are is in most classic westerns.

[@bigdaddy741098]

"well he should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend". I love that line, and I gotta admit that I completely agree. That's cold blooded revenge right there, which is basically what this movie was about imo.

[@Databyter]

"I am William Munny and I've done that and a lot worse" One of the best "breaking bad" lines ever. He has completely embraced his alternate ego at this point and he is not in a state of mind to be shamed by it.

[@aldomeow]

Deserve ain’t got nothin to do with it So many 😂

[@brettfromla4055]

“I ain’t like you, Will.” Such a great scene, especially where you see the young woman get scared while describing Munny’s past, and simultaneously the kid learns how bad of a person Will was.

[@whoyoukidding1]

Same scene where the kid says "Well, I guess they had it coming". And Clint says "We all have it coming Kid".

[@actionalex3611]

@@whoyoukidding1 Hell of a thing, killing a man...

[@mohammedashian8094]

@@actionalex3611 take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have

[@BravoDox]

What I love is the subtext behind Munny being terrible at pig-farming and Little Bill being terrible at carpentry. The kid is right that he's not like Will. Will's a killer. He's great at it. But he's useless at everything else. These two men, Munny and Little Bill, are BOTH clearly killers to the point where no matter how they try, they don't really "fit" with normal law-abiding life.

[@rightwired]

Unforgiven was nominated for 11 Oscars, won 4, including Best Picture. It's one of the few times the Academy got it right.

[@wellington66440]

not one of the few. there are plenty of deserving movies that actually got it.

[@markpekrul4393]

When I saw this in the theater I was underwhelmed - meh. Then I watched it a few years later at home and it seemed like a different film. It's a beautiful piece, and so deep. It's arguably Eastwood's finest work. And it has one of the best, most meaningful lines in film history - "It's a Hell of a thing, killing a man....you take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have".

[@lukebunny]

Similar experience, I think I was too young to really appreciate it when it came out. Took a few years and more experience behind me to fully understand it. But once I did...yeah. "We've all got it coming."

[@joelwillis2043]

@@lukebunny You probably were amped up from Tombstone -- the Western for the adhd.

[@Thane36425]

I was old enough for that to get through when I saw it the first time. Even so, it seems like every time you watch it you notice some other nuance.

[@jasonrogers5061]

@@lukebunny My dad loved westerns and Unforgiven was one of his favourites. When he introduced it to me I didn't think much of it tbh, but I was in my mid teens then. Watched it randomly again in my early 20's and it blows me away how powerful it is. Probably my favourite film of all time now and sent me down a rabbit hole exploring Eastwood's work.

[@NemeanLion-]

I was underwhelmed in the theater until the ending. It’s an excellent film, but it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea.

[@Zeugnimodms]

I love this movie, but I feel it was a tad too soon for her to watch this. It's really the thoughts of the genre by a veteran of Westerns on both sides of the camera. The more older westerns you watch, the more you'll understand what Eastwood is trying to say.

[@singlechristiancowboy]

Well said.✝️🇺🇸🤠

[@josephamoraz7990]

This is exactly what I've been saying since day one. Actually bums me out she watched this so soon. This movie definitely would hit harder if she had watched a few others.

[@BanyanTree1]

Yeah and so much of it is commentary on the mythology of the Old West, which has clearly already ended. The men who survived it are old and spend their time telling exaggerated stories to biographers. I mean "The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance" did this topic 30 years previously but Unforgiven takes off all of the blinders. What a crazy introduction to the genre.

[@DeltaAssaultGaming]

What he’s trying to say is pretty much summed up by that scene with the writer and Little Bill explaining the real killing of Two Gun Corcoran by the Duck. “This is how it really was. There’s no romance in this.”

[@Salguine]

Another great Western that a lot of people missed is "Open Range," from 2003. Despite having a top-notch cast, it somehow fell through the cracks and got lost. It has Robert Duvall (any time you have a western with Robert Duvall in it, you've won), and ya boy KEVIN COSTNER, and Annette Bening, and it's a great film. Check it out; you won't be sorry.

[@rcreynolds6186]

Well said. I love that movie.

[@jimmypopt.v.3037]

And the climatic shootout is incredibly good.

[@Seven_Leaf]

It's a great film, though I don't understand why they didn't have any scenes with barbed wire, if only for a nod to the subject matter, time period and significance. Perhaps they didn't want to overload the viewer with history, that while important, doesn't impact the pace of the story.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

"There is worse things in life that eat at a man more than dying."

[@cliftonahn6422]

Loved "Open Range". I worked at a movie theatre here in Hawaii so I got free movies and saw this many times after work. Even that scene right before the final gunfight where Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner are eating that melted chocolate was fun to watch.

[@brianhenson4128]

This won the Oscar. A true classic. It was a movie clint purposely left for his last western to make us question who was the good guy or the bad guy. In real life the lines are blurred.

[@drimastermaster1911]

and who the ugly :-P

[@stuartwait]

All the cowboys characters he ever played rolled into one

[@SolidSnake8295]

That scene in the salon by itself was better than most entire movies.

[@SliderFury1]

Correct.

[@absolutezero6423]

@@asperhes I think some places do both . Now if they had drinking and gambling I might think about getting a haircut there.

[@omgbygollywow]

6:10 Yes, it was embellishing the story. One of the themes of the movie is how so much was embellished during that time. So many stories about the west and about cowboys were embellished and romanticized and made mythical when the truth was less so.

[@sgray001]

Every western _should_ be a little sad. Because at it's heart, the western is always about the end of an era. The old way fading into history while the new way is just coming over the horizon.

[@William_Sk]

Well put.

[@MICHAEL-tz9ni]

This movie had a happy ending. Little Bill didn't have to live with that crappy porch he would have built.

[@E_y_a_l]

Yea, it was a danger hazard, with such bad construction it was an accident waiting to happen.

[@JimmyG1776]

LOL

[@desitterspace2127]

Or the leaky roof!

[@jeffstrom164]

This film is great. I love many parts and aspects. It's not a fun movie, though. It's not meant to be liked, just experienced. It makes you think and feel, but thoughts that aren't fun and feelings that are to dark to be called good. Excellent film.

[@DeltaAssaultGaming]

“An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted.” -Arthur Miller

[@geeebuttersnap2433]

So the superhero era should be coming up soon. At least I hope it is, I don’t think I could stand 50 years of it. The reason why westerns were made for so long is because they had better writing and were just simply better movies.

[@corryjamieson3909]

@@geeebuttersnap2433 with the way things are going, I say 1 more decade and then we're through.

[@Hdudnfbfj]

"he should have armed himself when he decided to decorate his saloon with my friend" the reason clint eastwood remains the most badass actor of all time

[@robertthompson5908]

This was the ultimate western. One of the best ever made and one of Clint Eastwood’s best. I saw it the first time 32 years ago when it came out and I still ponder its meaning. My favorite part of your review was when you said “he ain’t like that no more.”

[@Steve_Blackwood]

“I've always been lucky when it comes to killin' folks.” Cassie, you kinda swept the two extremes for westerns. 😂

[@SuprousOxide]

Because like Bill was explaining with the Two-Gun guy, sometimes it comes down to luck.

[@bobbychristensen8887]

Now she needs to watch Rustler’s Rhapsody to get back on the other extreme

[@p-51d95]

"True Grit" (both versions) "Open Range" "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" "Lonesome Dove" (mini-series)

[@cluster_f1575]

Never saw the original True Grit, but I loved the newer version with Jeff Bridges & Hailee Steinfeld. IIRC, I think that was her first film. I was particularly impressed with her outstanding performance given how young she was.

[@spackle9999]

@@cluster_f1575 It's completely worth it to watch the original True Grit. It's my second favorite western after Unforgiven. The strong female lead, the accurate dialect, and John Wayne's great performance. It's all great.

[@Baneironhand]

Buddy of mine has sworn violence on me if I bring up Jeff Bridges and Rooster Cogburn in the same sentence. I though the movie was fine personally. Open range is the best of the newer westerns imo.

[@josephamoraz7990]

Young guns 1 & 2

[@telesquirt2007]

I love the movie Open range, I would say it has one of the most realistic old west gun battles ever filmed.

[@RageousMode]

I'd imagine the Dollars trilogy has been recommended. At the very least "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" is must watch (and can be watched independently of the others) as I'm sure many will attest. Very long movie but it takes one on a journey and has all the elements you're looking for emotionally Cassie :)

[@TheAutumnWind_RN4L]

That was my Dad's Intro to the Western genre, right there. I've been hooked ever since. But since she loved Maverick, she might like Terrence Hill in Trinity and Nobody, too.

[@hiccup1dt102]

Richard Harris happened to be watching one of those movies when Clint called to ask him if he wanted to be in Unforgiven. Harris thought Clint wasn't really on the phone and thought whoever took the call was messing with him.

[@fluffylittlebear]

The Outlaw Josey Wales is the best Clint Eastwood movie.

[@GuyFawkes522]

I'd say 'For a Few Dollars More' would be a must see as well.

[@HotchkissJoe]

"A fistful of dollars" (Clint Eastwood's first leading roll) and "For a few dollars more", as well as "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach respectively.

[@jamesrobertson2361]

This movie was the one that put to bed the idea of good guys and bad guys in the western genre. One you could watch that has a similar character is Open Range with Kevin Costner.

[@sjdover69]

But that has a love story and a good guy. Cassie would love it.

[@AlanSizzlerKistler]

It's understandable and intended for you to feel conflicted with this movie. This story is a deconstructionist take on the commonly accepted Western ideas, bringing up the emotional and moral consequences of killing, even if you think you're killing "bad guys." It emphasizes moral ambiguity, since just about everyone seems messy and a mix of good and bad rather than several clear cut good people vs. evil people. Little Bill isn't exactly evil and thinks he's the good guy too. But he's also a bully who gets wrathful when you hurt his pride, who enables and protects bad people if he thinks doing otherwise would be inconvenient for his power. He figures it's better to be on the good side of men with money and influence than prostitutes, even when those men did awful things. He's angrier English Bob is making fun of the US on Independence Day than he is that English Bob takes pride in how often he's killed Asian immigrants deemed to be enemies of the railroad companies. And he seemed to take pride in torturing Ned rather than accepting that Ned had given up the mercenary contract and was on his way home. But even Will can't say Bill deserves death for all that, because "deserves got nothing to do with it."

[@Thynqikan]

well said!

[@crypastesomemore8348]

Pride in torturing Ned? Wtf are you talking about? Ned would've been executed for murder (which he was absolutely guilty of), and Bill was protecting the community by forcing Ned to reveal the whereabouts of his fellow conspirators. Stop evaluating it with modern-day ethics, pal- this film takes place in 1881 on the American Frontier, in an isolated hamlet.

[@mysocalledknife07]

Tombstone is good, but The Unforgiven is in a class all its own. Untouchable masterpiece.

[@stevem2323]

Different movies, both great tho, Unforgiven is in the class with the Searchers.

[@JBplumbing12]

Unforgiven is my favourite western because it is well made and so thought provoking, then True Grit (the second making), then Tombstone.

[@zeldyrrolorin9962]

What you said at the end was spot on. A lot of westerns glorify the idea of a "gunslinger" like it would be fun to be one. And Clint Eastwood stared in a lot of the most famous ones. Then he came along with Unforgiven to show it wasn't glamorous at all. It was messy, and ugly, and killing a man was a horrific thing that was hard to move on from. So in that sense Unforgiven is better to watch after having seen some of the more classic westerns. But it is a fantastic movie and you got the main point it was trying to make. Thanks for the awesome reaction as usual.

[@bisseefamily9698]

Plus the gorgeous Alberta landscapes as the backdrop to all the messy and ugly, great contradiction. Cassie, it was filmed out by Longview AB in the foothills.

[@klausmuller8509]

If you like Western, I recommend OPEN RANGE. A classic western starring Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall. To me, Duvall is one of the best cowboys on screen (Broken Trail, Lonesome Dove).

[@jonc7739]

Dances With Wolves.

[@robertbouley7697]

Absolutely! Open Range is my second western. This being my first.

[@ecclesrice9789]

I always catch a bad case of nostalgia watching Lonesome Dove. My dad (God rest his soul) and I could never pass it up whenever it was on TV.

[@jamesoliver6625]

The Wild Bunch 1969, Unforgiven 1992, Open Range 2003, The Big Country 1958....in that order are my top four.

[@jkfozul2316]

Is open range actually any good? I saw it in theaters and a few times at home after but was pretty much way too young toreally understand and thus the movie was boring lol

[@billeby6220]

I am impressed. Frankly, this is a movie I would have suggested you ease yourself into AFTER watching some other Westerns grittier than Maverick. You took on one of the rawest movies (not just Westerns) ever and handled it with with grace. I would love to see a follow-up review after you've had time to digest it a little more. It's a deconstruction of the traditional Hollywood western and Clint Eastwood was the guy to do it. Thanks for taking it on.

[@PatriotRebel]

@@AlexG1020 This was the 17th movie Eastwood directed, not his debut.

[@clairekane4157]

I had forgotten how good Gene Hackman was in this film. He is a national treasure. Plus, gotta love Dumbledore in a western. Love your channel ✌️

[@croftatron]

Richard Harris (dumbledore) also starred in his own western in the 1970’s. The movie is ‘A man called Horse’ and it’s brilliant.

[@doghousereilly3795]

Hackman got his second oscar for this, The French Connection (1971) was his first.

[@William_Sk]

Richard Harris is so much more than Dumbledore.

[@lanwyacaere9274]

@@croftatron another grat western btw.

[@Urugami45]

He also played King Arthur

[@davidkessinger1581]

After "Outlaw Josey Wales", this is my favorite Eastwood western. Also, it is my favorite Gene Hackman western. I have watched many music and comedy reactions from many different people, but this was my first movie reaction video. You made this movie feel like I did the first time seeing it when it came out. Thank you!

[@robwilkes8436]

Josie Wales, Unforgiven, and John Wayne's "Big Jake" are my favorite three. Richard Boone as the leader of the bad guys had a great line. "Mister, I seen something in your eyes I didn't like. I saw a foolish thought. So let me be clear: if anything goes wrong--- anything at all--- my fault, your fault, nobody's fault--- my brother will blow that boy's head clean off. Do you understand me, mister?"

[@topherbec7578]

@@robwilkes8436 and when John Wayne repeats the line back to him is classic.

[@aklimar2208]

“Where’s the money, daddy?”

[@wyluli-dt9wv]

Lonesome Dove should be your next western. Amazing characters! Its the "Firefly" of the western genre.

[@bradarmintor]

I couldn't agree more!!! What a series!!

[@marthapackard8649]

It's excellent but a substantial commitment for someone who don't really enjoy the genre ...yet. Give her a chance to break in, lol.

[@mikemclaughlin3306]

Ooof...... no. A western soap opera. Hard pass...... she needs to watch high noon, or hang em high, or fist full of dollars.

[@dalegribble49]

Its must see without a doubt its an epic.

[@paulp9274]

Firefly is the Firefly of the western genre 🙂

[@badmoonrising7012]

SILVERADO, that should be on your watch list. Definitely a more clearly defined good and bad. The thing about "The Old West" is that good and bad wasn't always a clean line. Often the good guys were as hard and vicious as the bad guys in order to survive.

[@adzthesaint]

I mean, the good guys were just the ones that survived long enough to shape the narrative.

[@doghousereilly3795]

Good choice. I absolutely love Silverado. And Cassie is enjoying Kevin Costner, so it would be a great watch.

[@SilentHunter245]

I'm not a Western genre fan; but I do enjoy Silverado, El Dorado, and The War Wagon. I've seen many others, but those three are the ones I'll keep re-watching over and over.

[@robert6680]

Oh my dear Cassie.❤️ It is amazing how passionate who are in every movie you watch. You pay attention closely to all the details that I usually miss the first time I watch a movie. You convey so much emotion with sincerity. You truly are the best reactionist. (If reactionist is a word) 🌹 stay beautiful ❤️

[@jd89]

Clint Eastwood sat on this project for almost 20 years so he would be old enough to play William Munny. This is one of my favorite movies, because it's so complex. I like how the Schofield Kid is in a way like William Munny, both try to be something they're not. William tries to convince himself he's good now and cured of all the wickedness, but by the end we see the capability and will to commit extreme acts of violence is still there. The Kid is brash and tries to give impression of cold blooded killer, when in truth he's not. Also, I love how this is a deconstruction of the Wild West gunslinger myth. William isn't some proud outlaw who does what he wants. Instead he's a traumatized alcoholic murderer filled with shame and regret of the horrible things he's done, now trying to make amends.

[@cobbler88]

I really don't see that. I can play the piano. If I don't do so for the next 10 years, it doesn't mean I'm engaging in some sort of charade that I can't play piano or that that capability is being hidden. I'm just choosing a different path - no pretending necessary.

[@Kurdinov83]

@@cobbler88 Of course, cause playing the piano and being a murderer are THE SAME

[@cobbler88]

@@Kurdinov83 No gift for consuming analogy, eh? Maybe you should re-read what I wrote until you actually understand it. Hell, I even basically explained it. I'm sure you're not one of those logic/reading-comprehension challenged people who says that if someone doesn't want to wear a facemask they hate old people, or if they want voter ID it's because they're racist, right?

[@Kurdinov83]

@@cobbler88 Big brain energy right there! Why don't you try and re-read what PotatoBob wrote... He's not talking about skills, he's talking about the man's heart. At his core Munny knows he's wicked and all he can do is try and hide it. Go and play the piano all you want, or don't, won't change the fact of you being who you are

[@cobbler88]

​@@Kurdinov83 Hey, if you insist on not understanding what I was writing about, that's on you. Maybe you tried and are simply not capable. Pity that. But maybe it's true. Maybe you'll still - deep down inside - still be ignorant in your later years despite any efforts to better or enlighten yourself. After all, we're working from a foundation that people don't change, and that it makes perfect sense to use what motivated a person years in the past to explain the things he does next Tuesday. Take care.

[@MegaToronto1]

"Anyone takes a shot at me, I won't just kill him, I'll kill his wife and all his friends. Burn his damn house down." Still my favorite line in the movie. 😂

[@jimmykarlsson2567]

" whos the fella who owns this shithole "

[@donovanmedieval]

@@jimmykarlsson2567 He shoulda armed 'imself, if 'e was gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.

[@geeebuttersnap2433]

My favorite line is “we all have it coming kid.”

[@bdbdluk954]

that was a great line, I used it once as a joke to a coworker and got fired. some idiot overheard me say it and thought I was serious and reported me to human resources, long story short got fired no biggie went on to bigger and better things

[@jimmykarlsson2567]

@@donovanmedieval such an ice cold badass. Love it

[@nflr92]

"He needs a bed. And some Tylenol" - best critique of a western ever

[@ctmdarkonestm]

it'd be interested in your reaction to his earlier westerns: Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[@matta5498]

Outlaw Josey Wales

[@STOCKHOLM07]

aka the movies where if a bullet is fired by Eastwood, it kills a man

[@josephamoraz7990]

Think she would enjoy these Westerns alot more - open range - young guns 1 & 2 - tombstone

[@wolfganghirth]

@@josephamoraz7990 Stagecoach, Shane, The Searchers, and Tombstone

[@jivederpy2304]

I don’t think she’d like those…probably a lil too violent, but I do think she’d really enjoy Two Mules for Sister Sara.

[@atticusmcfly]

One of my all time favorite films. In my top 20. It's ironic because being that this is your first proper western, Unforgiven is seen as the last truly great film of the genre. They kind of died off after this masterpiece. There have been neo-westerns and various other genres that feel like westerns but nothing after 1992 could possible hold a candle to what Clint Eastwood managed to pull off here. I find it symbolic that the end credits are shown with such a beautiful sunset and that perfect arrangement playing. It felt like a chapter was closing in American cinema.

[@apotato1228]

I mean Tombstone came out in 1993.

[@atticusmcfly]

@@apotato1228 I've always been very 'ehh' with Tombstone.

[@jsalvatori]

@@apotato1228 And "The Quick and The Dead" in 1995

[@apotato1228]

@@atticusmcfly To be honest, I haven't actually seen Tombstone yet. I just know that a lot if people like that movie.

[@TheTigersense]

The 3:10 to Yuma remake was a good one to come after this. It also shares some of the same themes about the inner character of men.

[@SnaFubar_24]

Another great reaction really enjoyed it! To my mind, not knowing who to root for was the point that sunk in the most. Most westerns have a defined villain and then defined good guy but real life isn't like that. Everybody has a dark side and the real world lives in those gray areas. It's what we choose to do in our day-to-day lives that separates one from another...

[@jamesjoseph1249]

I think that jumping from 'Maverick' as your first western, straight to 'Unforgiven' as your second is a lot. It's a bit like drinking a White Claw and then lining up shots of tequila. I don't know if you're going to have a good time, but I'm gonna watch the show.

[@kurtfrancis4621]

She's in for a treat :)

[@lito6062]

well, she also saw Back to the future 3, if that counts

[@matthewcragg3607]

"Unforgiven" is, in my opinion, the greatest Western genre movie of all time. It had tremendous emotional depth.

[@ewoe21]

I agree.

[@JPSE57]

WAAAYYYYY better than Maverick!

[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

How about "The Wild Bunch." 1969 Dir. Peckinpah.

[@louky2228]

This movie is near the top of my list, but everyone has their own opinion and mine is "Tombstone"! Val Kilmer was epic as doc holiday!!!

[@joetursi9573]

So true.

[@fredermac7468]

If you can, try “Lonesome Dove”, IMO The greatest western mini series of all time.

[@paulmartin2348]

This movie is almost to "true" to be fun. Soon as I saw you were going to watch this I knew it would be a bit rough for you. There is nothing "noble" or "heroic" about killing a person for any reason. Clint shows the reality and ugliness so well here.

[@garmisra7841]

"Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." As Garth Ennis once said, Clint Eastwood as the Angel of Death. Tragic, terrifying, invincible.

[@AL13NM]

THE OUTLAW JOSE WALES is a Clint Eastwood Masterpiece and the first film he directed!

[@RetroClassic66]

You asked what a "drover" was, in the scene where Munny asks Ned if he remembers "that drover I shot; the teeth came out the back of his head." A drover was (and still is) someone who moves cattle or sheep from one place to another, such as on a cattle drive. On such drives, there are specific positions in relation to the herd that the cowboys take up. Essentially "drover" could be just another way of saying "cowboy," but it's inclusive of those who raise and move sheep in herds as well.

[@jimmypopt.v.3037]

Good to know, i always presumed he meant a "cattle rustler". Being English and a huge fan of westerns, i love the genre`s vernacular.

[@bad-people6510]

@@jimmypopt.v.3037 Eastwood spent 8 seasons playing one on Rawhide.

[@johnwhitaker3844]

"TOMBSTONE" KURT RUSSELLS RANT AT THE TRAIN STATION STILL GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS MOVIE!!

[@TechnicalBard]

And Hell's comin' with me!

[@TeamBonestorm]

I’ll be your huckleberry

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

Best Eastwood impression character EVER was Timothy Olyphant who played Seth Bullock in HBO's Deadwood. Spot on Eastwood.

[@chrismaverick9828]

@@TechnicalBard "You Tell'em I'm comin'!!! And Hell's Comin' with me! You hear?... Hell's comin' with me!" Powerful transitional moment. The creek scene after was supposedly scripted to the testimony of those who lived (and survived) it. Wyatt Earp was a man not to be trifled with.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

35:40 - Loved your reactions and then at the end when you imply you didn’t quite understand it because y’didn’t watch westerns before but then you hit us with the fact that it felt like the Wrap-Up of something bigger is SO right! I really feel this is, unofficially, the last chapter of “the man with no name“ and has to be the last original western movie to be made. After this one everything was, by necessity, variations on a previous theme or just various subplots woven into a film

[@shadow7988]

This movie is definitely an unofficial epilogue to the man with no name. Every time they elude to stories about Munny's past, my mind always instantly jumps to scenes like the shootouts in A Fistful of Dollars, where he basically kills half a village through extremely dubious circumstances.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@shadow7988 😉👍

[@JonathanHart1980]

Cassie's reactions are the gold star of youtube reactions. The editing is great as well. All other channels could only hope to be this good. Thanks Cassie for the excellent content.

[@jimmypopt.v.3037]

At first i thought she was being ironic but she isn`t is she?

[@markbeneventi1972]

The editing has really gotten good over the year and half that I’ve watched. Good call.

[@troymccall]

If you watch all of his earlier westerns, you will appreciate Unforgiven a lot more. There are so many great Eastwood westerns. You should try, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”

[@DannyLou03]

My favorite all time film.

[@randomaccessfemale]

The whole trilogy.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

Exactly. I think the character of William Munney sums up ALL of his Man With No Name characters basically. Check out Scott Eastwood's movie "Diablo". It's William Munney when he was young.

[@JC-tq8gm]

This is one of my all time favorites! Best western ever made IMHO. Love the way the characters are all very real and their flaws are laid out for the viewers. Anything Gene Hackman is in is a winner and Clint Eastwood has done nothing but get better with age.

[@merlinsclaw]

The problem with watching Unforgiven without having watched years of Weterns beforehand is that you have no basis for comparison, and no way to gague how effective and heartbreaking this movie is. It's a classic Western deconstructed to re-examine morality and good and evil. There were no "good" guys' or "bad" guys. There were just people.

[@Kaddywompous]

I disagree. Perhaps I’m a unique case, but I came to it with virtually no experience of westerns and it became one of my favorite movies. Even now, some 30 years later, I’ve seen very few westerns.

[@anonymes2884]

Yeah, totally agree. Clearly you can still get a lot from it because it's a good movie unto itself BUT the experience is much richer if you understand exactly what's being deconstructed (IMO). That said, Westerns have actually been doing this sort of thing for a _long_ time - "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is _also_ about the myth of the west and that's from 1962. Arguably one of the most famous Westerns of all time, "The Searchers" (1956), has a _deeply_ ambiguous central character (John Wayne in maybe his best role). So it certainly wasn't a new thing in 1992. (not saying OP didn't know this BTW, just making the case for a genre that's sometimes not given the credit it deserves IMO)

[@dunringill1747]

Although this is one of the all time great westerns with a legendary cast, watching this as one of your western "introductions" is like watching act 3 of "Serenity" before starting "Firefly". One of my favorite moments is the foreshadowing when Bill Munny learns Ned was killed and grabs the whiskey bottle. That's the moment we know the demon has awoken.

[@lapelcelery42]

Being as it's a deconstruction of the classic western genre, it's almost like watching Spaceballs before Star Wars.

[@XxXDestroyer]

What are some good Western introductions if you don't mind me asking? :)

[@dunringill1747]

@@XxXDestroyer "Best Intro Western Movies" - That is an awesome question and there are honestly too many greats to argue for. Instead I'd like to try (and probably fail) to narrow it down to a single movie. There are far too many greats I've yet to see. I am no expert on Westerns. Normally, my answer would be dependent on how well I knew someone so I could take a guess at a movie that could really hook them on the genre. To only pick one movie when not knowing someone, I would go with "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" - (1962) Directed by John Ford starring James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, & Lee Marvin. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (TMWSLV) doesn't break the western tropes like "Unforgiven" does. Instead it has an indirect focus giving us an overview on the demise of American myths, honor, and heroism of the genre. It also gives us excellent character portrayals of imperfect people going through life rather than "idealistic heroes kicking ass" (which I also enjoy, BTW). To see this demise helps us understand the Western genre itself. TMWSLV may or may not be "the most Western of Western tropes" but I believe it is a must watch movie with something that everyone can appreciate, no matter what their preferred movie genre.

[@dunringill1747]

@@lapelcelery42 That's for sure. Good analogy! +1 like.

[@robwilkes8436]

@@XxXDestroyer Any John Wayne westerns are good. Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, True Grit, Big Jake--- any of them will do as a starting point. John Wayne was the Clint Eastwood of the previous generation. He symbolized America to most foreigners for many decades. He still does for many over 60 years old.

[@shawnroberts8650]

Most western movies are good vs evil. Like "Tombstone" or "Silverado" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales". However Eastwood wanted a darker story line in this one. He made a great movie.

[@papanomidokoro]

Gotta watch "Shane", another "end-of-the-genre" Western made back in 1953. Then "The Searchers". Neither are light, but both are great Westerns and great movies.

[@markadams3976]

and the Clint Eastwood movie "Pale Rider" is a reworking of Shane so best avoided until you have seen the original.

[@Mansplainer2099-jy8ps]

Would "Hombre" (1967) also fit?

[@luvlgs1]

@@Mansplainer2099-jy8ps luv that movie, so many great lines

[@oldinion]

I can't imagine how confusing the western movie genre must seem to someone who's only seen Maverick and The Unforgiven. Two completely different experiences and both are considered modern cornerstones of the genre. Usually there are the good guys in westerns though.

[@Spencer_Beard]

This movie more than deserves the Oscars it won. The last of it's kind. While "Tombstone", "Open Range", " Appaloosa" and "3:10 to Yuma" are all excellent Western films made after "Unforgiven", in my opinion, I would not consider them great. "Unforgiven" is great.

[@mgaamerica9185]

I would say you should’ve started out with a John Wayne western, but since you’ve went with Clint, start with Pale Rider, then go with probably my two favorite westerns of all time, Tombstone, and the Outlaw Josey Wales. Now Clint not in Tombstone, but if you want a side to root for this one has it, also Val Kilmer gives probably the best character performance of all time, as Doc Holiday.

[@TTM9691]

"Tombstone" is like listening to a 90s band try to sound like the Beatles, lol. I think "Unforgiven" is an acceptable entry point into the western although I agree with you: "Stagecoach" is the archetype of Westerns, has spectacular, jaw-dropping stunts, it's directed by John Ford, the greatest of all Western directors, and it's the breakthrough role for John Wayne. I think that's a great one to start with although there are many classic ones, Hollywood churned them out for the first sixty years of American movie making, it's not like there aren't plenty of great westerns. Few of them were made after the 60s, though, I can probably count them on one hand.

[@AI_Image_Master]

I would recommend Shane. Old style Western. Clear good and evil, great story. Also High Noon. A personal Favorite is The Gunfighter starring Gregory Peck. Three Old School Westerns.

[@cuerpo869]

The Gunfighter is great..along with The Searchers and the original True Grit..

[@mikeg6606]

TOMBSTONE!? LOL TIc Toc has it spot on there; "Tombstone" is like listening to a 90s band try to sound like the Beatles."

[@chesapeake566]

Totally agree about Tombstone and Josey Wales, both of which are in my top three movies of all time, and Kilmer's performance. That performance is biblical. Absolute perfection. And Kurt Russel and Powers Booth are not too far behind. Heck, even Stephen Lang was so good as Ike Clanton I didn't even recognize him.

[@brianmcconnell1817]

“Unforgiven” is not a good vs evil story. It’s about the varying degrees of good and bad that exist in all people. Little Bill is not completely bad but he’s also not all good. William Munny started out life as a vicious killer but found redemption in his wife. But when provoked he can resort to his old ways. What separates the two men is their perception of justice and right vs wrong. Despite his vicious ways William has a strong sense of it. But for Little Bill these values are a matter of convenience. Characters like these are not black or white, like all people they are varying shades of grey. So they can be complex and challenging to understand or empathize with. Good people can be capable of doing bad things, and bad people can still have some humanity and are worthy of redemption. People can be complex and difficult and infuriating, but they are rarely one dimensional.

[@n2nother]

Hard disagree. Bill was never good. He was a Sheriff because he’s a bully and he had power.

[@stingtail9787]

Yeah I guess so.

[@brianmcconnell1817]

@@n2nother Bill offered to compensate the prostitutes for their financial losses. If he’d been all bad he wouldn’t have given them anything. The prostitutes put a bounty on the head of the guy who cut up the girl. So the perpetrator gets to die while she gets to live. Bill tried to stop any of the bounty hunters not only because they were a threat to his authority but in his mind the situation had already been dealt with. So like I said, two different concepts of justice and right vs wrong. He also had no tolerance for liars like English Bob, and he recognized the vicious and sociopathic nature of William Munny. So if he’s all bad as you claim he is he wouldn’t have any disdain for either of these men’s characters, he’d admire them.

[@neuvocastezero1838]

"The sheriff was this power hungry, mean guy, but he wanted to build a porch."

[@snotbubbles3276]

You should have done a series of his director westerns; High Plains Drifter (1973), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Pale Rider (1985) then the Unforgiven (1992). To see how his roles led up to this envision of William ‘Bill’ Munny

[@dave29123]

agreed

[@SeaDrive300]

Yes, those are the films I would have recommended, and in their proper chronological order.

[@caleba5748]

I'm not sure about that. I think High Plains Drifter is just as dark as Unforgiven in it's own way. Maybe a little too much for her, especially the disputed upon "was that rape or not?" scene.

[@dall1786]

Josey Wales for sure. What a great movie.

[@richardstephens5570]

High Plains Drifter is not a good suggestion for someone new to the western genre.

[@4everhealthwellness344]

Don't worry Cassie, this movie caused many people to have mixed emotions. But I think it shows how real life is, how everyone has good and evil in them. Hollywood often shows characters as either totally and always good, or always evil, and that's not what real life is

[@twalters8]

Stop watching movies to merely make you feel good. Watch great movies to teach you something about real life. Just as great literature does. I almost had to stop watching because of your naive interpretations.

[@4everhealthwellness344]

@@twalters8 are you referring to me or Cassie when you said to watch movies for more than just entertainment? I agree it's good to extract a message or moral of the story from a film. Sometimes it's ok to just be entertained though don't you think? My point was how people expect movies to be clear cut black and white when it comes to the characters being good or evil. I could tell the blurred lines of the characters morality was making our dear Cassie uncomfortable

[@cobbler88]

How could anyone have mixed emotions about this one? I'm seeing this a lot and it's just baffling.

[@4everhealthwellness344]

@@cobbler88 because Little Bill shows elements of maintaining law and order yet is brutal and sadistic, and Will Munny is a good man now but is out doing a bad thing being a hired assassin, as I said it shows many characters being good and evil and that is contrary to most movie characters especially Westerns. I am sympathetic to Clint Eastwood's character but for a new viewer it's easy for them to feel conflicted

[@cobbler88]

@@4everhealthwellness344 What we saw of Little Bill was that he was a sadistic bully who only seemed concerned with his own stranglehold on power - not necessarily order. Concentration camps were orderly as well. Not that it was unusual, but just about the only law he actually was interested in enforcing was the one making sure no one could stand up to him with a firearm. There was no good really demonstrated in the man. And Munny was hired to bring vengeance only when the hookers were denied justice through the legal system. While it diminishes the virtuous life he's trying to lead strictly because of the money, given the opposition, it's still very easy to see defending the defenseless as an honorable purpose. And it's not like Munny's character wasn't written to still be the person bringing justice against the unjust. If we were truly meant to have mixed feelings about him, he'd have been written like Johnny Ringo in "Tombstone," slapped his kids around, not allowed people to flee at the end and would have taken up with multiple whores. Given the actions contained solely in the film, there's little doubt that Bill needs to be dispatched, and that by the end Munny has no recourse. He's already being hunted, and that will eventually find its way onto his land - with his children - unless he uses the only conflict-resolution skills that will work, given the nature of Bill. TODAY we'd frown on how this unfolded. But given the time it was fairly organic.

[@jakeand9020]

That's the point of the movie, there wasn't anyone to root for, there almost never is.

[@martinbraun1211]

I suggest the Clint Eastwood movie "In the Line of Fire" from 1993!

[@andrewgrossman4982]

A *great* and under appreciated film. Like *Unforgiven*, Clint gets out of the way and let’s his co-star be the mesmerizing on-screen force.

[@raelshark]

Agreed. Great movie.

[@Big_Bag_of_Pus]

"I didn't know who to root for." Exactly. This movie is about life. The vast majority of the real conflicts in life, there isn't a clear good guy or bad guy.

[@4EyedAnimation]

And the lack of glamour or honor in killing.

[@tennseven999]

Like when that kid says about the guy they killed, "he had it coming!" "We all have it coming, kid."

[@crypastesomemore8348]

The reason it is difficult to know who to root for is the film’s narrative, which makes you sympathize with the protagonist. If you analyze the plot and characters, Little Bill is more or less the good guy.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

The only good characters? The children, the girl that got cut up. Maybe Ned because he wasn’t able to go through with killing the cowboy after shooting the horse.

[@cobbler88]

It was pretty easy to know who to root for. And while people like to pretend that in the "vast majority" of conflicts there is a large grey area, that's not any more true than the idea that it's tough to know what the right thing to do is. It's almost always easy to know the right thing. Actually DOING it is the tough part. Most conflicts don't have a good or bad guy. They're just conflicts.

[@ThunderPants13]

The men Will killed at the end would have killed him if he hadn't killed them. He did what he had to do to survive, and he had to survive for the sake of his children.

[@Robbyrool]

For a fun western, watch Silverado. Longmire is a great modern western series. Any time you see Gene Hackman or Morgan Freeman in the cast, you know it’s a good film.

[@simianinc]

I recommend True Grit, the 2010 version. It has a strong female lead, and is a mixture that is both moving and amusing. A true Coen brothers great (you watched their film Fargo). Unforgiven was an Oscar-winning, revisionist Western. Instead of being a fun and action-packed genre piece, it was a study of frontier violence and its cost of lives and to the soul

[@paulmatthews463]

I can recommend true grit also, but it would have to be the 1969 version.

[@jonjohns65]

She's seen that one, Here's a list of everything Cassie has seen, even before she started her "First Time Watching" channel. Check out her Letterboxd page: letterboxd.com/pib1/films/by/name/

[@StayFractalesque]

as long as we're discussin' remakes, I'd be remiss in my duty as a certified comment section citizen, if I failed to sing the praises of the modern classic, '3:10 To Yuma' .. g'day m'lady..

[@magicbrownie1357]

Seconded

[@dall1786]

@@StayFractalesque 3:10 is a truly great film. I like the original from 57 and the remake in 2007 equally.

[@stevengartside7257]

Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. Hollywood Royalty right there. Clint Eastwood is so talented. Actor, Director, Composer. So many films for you to watch with him in them.

[@darkwitnesslxx]

Richard Harris deserves some credit here too.

[@mart4414]

Richard Harris!!

[@stevengartside7257]

@@darkwitnesslxx Quite right.

[@stonewall6759]

@@stevengartside7257 I see what you did there... ;)

[@scotthall3644]

Watch outlaw josey wales

[@stuartwait]

The last 20 minutes of this movie is some of the best film making ever,I’ve memorized every word of Clint’s speech.Best western ever!!!

[@BillyBones-ui9ck]

This is a great movie. The guy who plays English Bob also plays Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films

[@allanmanaged5285]

that's Richard Harris, sadly he died in 2002. He starred in 'A Man Called Horse', another very good western, maybe you could react to that one too Cassie.

[@dallesamllhals9161]

..and 'Horse' & did drink alot

[@dall1786]

That would be the awesome actor Richard Harris.

[@djVOME]

Sir Richard Harris.

[@rc1363]

and sang the first recorded version of MacArthur Park

[@Wookie120]

They killed his friend Ned, so he brought down the wrath on them, period. He was at one time a killer, but his wife changed him, but when his friend was killed, he had to go back to that dark place and do what was needed, avenge his friend, and in the end, it gave him the chance to make a better life for his children. He most likely carried the guilt of his past to his grave, thus the name, Unforgiven. Not thathard to figure out.

[@jamesbednar8625]

Awesome review!!! Few other westerns to consider" The Searchers Pale Rider The Outlaw Josey Wales The Missing Open Range Hostiles The Man Who Shot Liberty VAllance High Noon Shane

[@anonymes2884]

Good list. And in fact starting from the bottom up, that's a really good _order_ too.

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

Looking at your list, I was surprised at how many of those I own. But then I'm a big Wayne and Eastwood fan.

[@jcxz983]

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a great recommendation. Another "end of the genre" one but a lot less gory. And it has a love story. Come on people, be nice and recommend a western she's going to like.

[@jamesbednar8625]

@@jcxz983 She should love "Cowboys and Aliens" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@paulp9274]

I'm really partial to 'The Cowboys', which has a lot of fun parts and some sad banjo parts.

[@Salta0monte]

Yes, you nailed it. This is a wrap up and you should have watched a bunch of earlier westerns first. This movie was made when westerns were well past their prime, just like Clint, who deliberately waited until he was 60+ before making this one so it would seem more authentic. Unforgiven was meant to be a raw and realistic look back at some of the romanticized stories that came before. Legendary gunfighters who in reality were mean drunks who killed women and children, or just plain liars like English Bob. The writer embellishing the stories is a representation of the more fanciful movies that came before this one. Talking of very slightly more fanciful movies (only very slightly), my favourite Clint movie is The Outlaw Josey Wales, and I definitely think you'd appreciate that one more.

[@Salta0monte]

Another top notch western is The Searchers starring John Wayne, but I really don't think you'll like that one.

[@francischambless5919]

you said it perfectly regarding the embellishment of the stories, and I'd have added that's exactly what Lil Bill was doing as part of his character. He already had the town afraid of him having a reputation of harsh treatment of those he'd arrest, using that reputation to his advantage. Having the writer take to him magnified his ego and his aggressiveness. Bill liked hurting people and Boshent was a means to pad his own legend into history as the toughest lawman, even tho his actions were worse than some killers themselves. Love this movie. It hits hard, like when the gunslingers of The Magnificent Seven are sitting in the room all commenting on what that lifestyle has brought them. Sobering reality of a later romanticized time. Unforgiven covers it all.

[@stevewright9779]

That's a +1 on Josey Wales for me too. I'd also add in High Plains Drifter, Hang 'Em High, The Wild Bunch and Once Upon A Time In The West and top tier westerns (IMO of course).

[@RobinHood-cd9mh]

If youre heading into Eastwood's credits, it might be best to start with A Fistful of Dollars.

[@Tr0nzoid]

I was coming here to say something like that, or at least note that this was a different kind of western after the genre was considered passe. I always remember seeing the trailer for this in the theater (before "Lethal Weapon 3") and hearing the audience's reaction when Clint Eastwood in his cowboy hat turned his face to the camera.

[@SmartCookie2022]

It's quite fascinating watching someone trying to understand how a story is meant to flow. The story really isn't _that_ complex.

[@jimmcdonald4087]

"I don't know how to feel" pretty much describes the whole movie. Even the heroes aren't heroes -- like The Godfather. Watch it a couple more times and review it again in a year.

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

I know how to feel. I wanted Clint to mow the town with Little Bill's blood. lol

[@dirks4093]

Yes, and better yet.. compare it to how screwed up our leadership and corruption and crime and lack of justice and all the blurred lines everywhere still exists today. This movie will make you open your eyes .. and quit fooling ourselves. Hopefully more good comes from that.

[@bluebird3281]

Enzo the baker in the Godfather, he just came to visit Don Corleone and stood out front with Michael and pretended to have a gun in his pocket. He was a hero

[@crypastesomemore8348]

@@johnnyskinwalker4095 Which is just about the most incorrect feeling you can take away from the film.

[@blueeyedcowboy8291]

I think Tombstone would be the perfect movie that will be right in the middle of Unforgiven and Maverick as far as westerns go. This is now one of my favorites, however it is one that definitely gets better with each rewatch. I didn't know what to think about it after the first time.

[@robertbouley7697]

Agree on all points. Unforgiven is my favorite western. Tombstone is third, and as you say, down the middle with weight and tone.

[@TheAutumnWind_RN4L]

Well...Tombstone is kinda hardcore too lol! Unforgiven is just, brutally honest. But I get your meaning. At least Tombstone has a few moments of levity.

[@javix2013]

And Wyatt Earp with Kevin Kostner

[@wombat5334]

I think this reaction was what Eastwood was aiming for :) This movie is a critique of the western genre while still holding faithful to its trappings. This has no good guys or bad guys, only broken people. No ideas being defended, only glory hounds and revenge. Its a brilliant movie, a moving experience - but enjoyable? Not particularly.

[@scottmoore1614]

“This is such a mess!” Truer words were never spoken about a film! It’s so scary how vengeance can soon spin completely out of control.

[@stingtail9787]

I know right? Ugly scene at my local 7-11 a bearclaw shortage.A .Brawl occurred horrific I tells you.Yes pastry can cause a man to kill.

[@cobbler88]

How did vengeance spin out of control? He killed the people who earned it, plus a little self defense peppered in there, and spared a good number of people, allowing them to leave. Then he went home.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

Uh oh. This is going to be a rough ride.