A “masterpiece” revisionist western directed by Clint Eastwood that’s hailed as the “greatest” the genre has produced is streaming now in the UK. Unforgiven (1992) is a revisionist Western starring Eastwood as William Munny, a ruthless killer and outlaw who turns his back on crime to raise a family.
But years later, when the Kansas hog farm they live on starts to fail, Munny is reluctantly forced to accept a bounty hunting job in Wyoming. But though he desperately needs the money, the aging assassin is haunted by his violent past, and fears there’ll be no going back if he returns to his old life. The all-star cast also includes Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris. The screenplay was written by David Webb Peoples.
The film was critically acclaimed, praised for its subversion of old Western tropes. It bagged four Oscars including: Best Picture, Best Director for Eastwood, Best Supporting Actor (Hackman), and Best Film Editing (Joel Cox).
Fans have taken to IMDb to shower the gritty Old West epic with praise.
One fan wrote: “Personally, I can’t praise this movie enough, as it is easily one of the best Westerns done since Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”, and required viewing not only for fans of the genre.
“While some consider it an “anti-Western”, I think that with this movie, Eastwood’s name can proudly stand along those of Ford, Hawks, Leone and Peckinpah as a master of the Western. “Unforgiven” is definitely Clint’s masterpiece. 10/10″
Another wrote: “One of the greatest Westerns ever made? Certainly. Although the fact it’s a western is really secondary. In truth it’s a tale of the nature of evil and the nature of man.
“Eastwood uses the gap between the western myth and reality as an arena to play out his story and does so with consummate style.”
A third warned: “If you are expecting anything like Clint’s “spaghetti westerns” you will be disappointed. If you are looking for an excellent story with characters that all have varying degrees of wickedness, you will be satisfied when its all said and done.”
A fourth who gave the film a perfect score said it’s also “beautifully shot”. “The cinematography is wonderfully dark and autumnal, and the scenery and production values are breathtaking”.
“The story is ceaselessly compelling and while Eastwood clearly dedicated the film to the likes of Sergio Leone, he replaces brutality with a greater emphasis on character and cause and effect, and doing that Eastwood successfully redefines the genre,” they added.
“There is also a wonderful script that does a fine job giving credibility to the characters. All in all, this film is brilliant.”
A fifth hailed Unforgiven as “the last and greatest western”.
The film has a 15 certificate and contains contains strong language, violence and sex – so viewer discretion is advised.
Unforgiven was added to Amazon Prime in the UK on Wednesday, March 18.
