Grab your whisky and six-shooter, because we're going into the Wild West with this one, as I review one of my favourite Westerns of all time - Unforgiven.
I still love that line: “You cowardly snake, you just killed an unarmed man.” “Well, he should have armed himself if he was going to decorate his bar with my friend.”
It wasn't until the fourth time I saw this film that I heard the second half of Eastwood's line. The first three times, the audience was laughing so hard I couldn't make out a word of what he was saying.
The best part I think of the unforgiven is that Clint Eastwood purchased the rights to the story and sat on them for over 10 years waiting until he was old enough to properly play the role. no BS of "lets put wrinkles and false wrinkles on." No lets wait a decade until I am an old fart and then lets make the movie about an old man. Guy is a bloody legend!
Because he knows it's not just about wrinkles on your face. To really play that character, to make an aged, past-his-prime, former legend who just wants to be left alone, and atone for his past man, you can't just look old, you have to BE old. You have to let life kick you in the nuts a few times, just so you can learn how to get back up from it. To believably show real pain, and loss, and sorrow, you have to have gone through it.
Sorry for the screenwriter who had to wait. Hope he got the full screenplay purchase price and not the cheap option price until Clint wa finally ready.
@@ColonelRoge It is invigorating. He is drinking "Tennessee Whiskey" while talking about an American Western. I wish more actual Americans had his sense of our culture. Technically he should be drinking scotch, but let the guy role-play as he knows his shit! :: draws revolver and fires from the hip, hitting target with impeccable accuracy :: :: toasts to you with mutual shots of Bourbon ::
@@Nesseight 🤣 Well i can't argue with that, however i'll pit your Tennessee Whiskey against a single malt any day of the week. (opens a bottle of Tennessee whiskey to test claim is true)
@@imperialbricks1977 Yep. I heard his son say that on Joe Rogan's podcast then found an old interview where Clint said he waited till he was older to do it
Yeah, it was originally called "The murderer William Mundy" or something like that. Several actors were interested in it, including Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner. Clint bought the rights and shelved in for over a decade, and Morgan freeman was thrilled to get the call from Clint.
My biggest memory of this movie is Eastwood repeatedly saying "I ain't that kind of man anymore", until the climatic fight where he was that kind of man again.
Remember that country song I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. Get half a bottle of whiskey and a man who's been sober for over a decade, and for about 20 minutes he's just a kid again.
Call me a nihilist (don't worry, I have no problem with that... "pronoun"), but that line essentially sums up life. Whether you lived like a monk, whether you lived like a beast, found redemption or not... when you take your last breath, "deserving" has nothin' to do with anything...
@@MegaDcmp Freeman was on Sesame Street. He didn't get his first real acting break in movies until he was approaching 50. As I recall about 45or 46. He is not a youthful-looking black man. So even when he was in his late 40's he looked older. I'm 55, suffered a heart attack and no one believes me about either. It's all in the genes. A healthy diet and working out helps. I had oily skin and acne when I was younger. It was horrible. Still have oily skin. An older woman told me when I get older I will glad I had oily skin. I think she was right. It never hurts when people....black people... think I am 10 years younger than I am. :)
@@JohnDoe-yi4xd To be a nerd , I think he was on "The Electric Company" first and that show and Sesame Street shared alot of actors/actresses, besides their connection to Mississippi Educational TV/PBS , which Jim Henson also a native of Mississppi like Freeman brought all that together and made made really memorable with his Muppets.
the ending where clint is issuing his threats and the lightning is illuminating his face,he is literally the embodiment of the angel of death.serious goosebumps every time
When they kill Morgan Freeman, stick his body on the porch of the bar and they're all like: "Na it'll be fine..." and then Clint turns up and shoots the landlord and Little Bill is all like: "Well sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch. You just shot an unarmed man." and Clint's like: "He should have armed himself....... if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend." Fucking awesome.
I completely agree with you brother that was my favorite scene in any Western I've ever seen!! Gene Hackman's character got off easy compared to what I would have done to him in the same situation. I would have found him in his house and cut him into little bitty pieces while he screamed his brains out. He tortured Morgan Freeman's character to death and I would have done the same to him. Nothing worse than a piece of s*** corrupt lawman. And they think they're righteous in the other guy is not. I love how God can find use for even the worst devil. Not that I think God had anything to do with that but you know what I mean
I will never forget when munney realises his mate is dead, and picks up the whiskey. You know from that point onwards that shit will hit the fan. 10/10
Agreed, it was such a foreboding moment I was immediately filled with dread. That point to the end of the movie is one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all time imo.
I noticed that to, most people seemed to have missed that shot? He reaches over, takes the bottle from the kid, and you know all hell is about to break loose.
One of my favorite aspects of the film is how Little Bill explains the actual technique of gunslinging. It's not being fast that's important, it's being calm and accurate, which is actually how the best of the gunslingers were. The guy who won was usually the one who took that extra critical second or two to aim properly when his opponent fired wildly from the hip. And that's exactly how Munny is victorious in the shootout at the end. Little Bill was unnerved, understandably so, before Will misfired and he fired first when he had the shotgun thrown at him because he panicked. Will kept his head, crouched low, and took his time to aim, one bullet for each man while Little Bill's deputies fired wildly in fear. Excellent setup based in real facts. Phenomenal film.
Watching that scene for the first time, I was immediately reminded of an old "60 Minutes" (?) interview with author Louis L'Amour. That guy busted Old West myths for me much like Little Bill did for Beauchamp. Edit: Holy crap, I found it! czcams.com/video/0da3C2BLCro/video.html&ab_channel=ManufacturingIntellect
Real historical examples are few, but maybe the best true lines about this comes from Wyatt Earp. He wrote about gunfighting maybe the best line ever written “Fast is fine but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry." On a related note, Earp lived long enough to take part in early western movies as a consultant. It could correctly be said that the entire genre is largely based on Earp.
To me that scene with Little Bill explaining how to actually handle yourself in a gun battle is one of the best examples of foreshadowing in any movie. The movie in general has so many layers to it that most movies can only dream of having.
@DillyDyson007 There's a bit of sarcasm in there for sure :) the advert people went "nah, it'll be fine" but it wasn't. "P&G reported a net loss of about $5.24 billion - or $2.12 per share - for the quarter ended June 30, due to an $8 billion non-cash writedown of Gillette,"
Bill Munny: Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have. The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'. Bill Munny: We all got it comin', kid.
@Mrmonkeyhanger Bill Munny and Bill Murray look similar enough in my head I guess that I just read that in Bill Murray’s Voice. Then I started thinking of what he would have been like in the movie instead of Clint Eastwood. Kinda fun to this about Bill Murray in other classic rolls.
The Schofield Kid: _refusing to take back his gun_ "You go on, keep it. I'm never gonna use it again. I won't kill nobody no more. I ain't like you, Will." So many awesome moments of character clarity in this movie.
The best part of that scene for me was watching The Schofield Kid's expression change as the girl described all the killings that William Munny did when he was younger.
A fairly mundane line, transformed by the simple phrase: 'I ain't like you, Will'. F'kin craft. Can I hijack here to recommend to The Drinker and others 'The Proposition', a not well known but very well written and made film from 2005, exploring some comparable themes.
"She was a comely young woman and not without prospects. Therefore it was heartbreaking to her mother that she would enter into marriage with William Munny, a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition. When she died, it was not at his hands as her mother might have expected but of smallpox. That was 1878." Claudia Munny saved her husband, and in a sense she saves him again by the end of the movie. Munny embraces his old darkness one last time to avenge his friend, but his love of his wife and their children is absolute.
One of the cowboys they assassinated actually attempted to make amends to the prostitutes beforehand, and the way his death is portrayed rather differently (not in a good way, if you know what I mean). Various characters felt remorse for having killed a man after that...... whereas the audience have the additional knowledge that the dude probably doesn't deserve to die.
@@Seven_Leaf Not a huge Kevin Costner fan, but it was a surprisingly good movie. I had to be dragged into it as I wasn't expecting much. Glad to be wrong.
@@Seven_LeafI love Open Range, though I've always thought the pacing is a bit off. But that's a minor gripe. The friendship between Costner's and Duvall's characters is electric and a real joy to watch, and that overshadows any flaws.
The best quote in this film, though there is many: "I'll see you in hell, William Munny." "Yeah." The final scene is more tense than most horror films.
I just watched an interview with Scott Eastwood and Joe Rogan, and Scott said that Clint actually sat on the script for this movie for ten years because he didn't feel he was old enough yet to make the movie. That is dedication to telling a good story.
*The Kid, finally understanding how badly out of his depth he is:* "I guess I'd rather be blind and ragged than dead." *Will:* "I ain't gonna shoot you, Kid. You're the only friend I've got." _Unforgiven_ is one of my all-time favorite films; it's the movie that convinced me to give Westerns a chance after dismissing the entire genre as my father's "boring brown movies" when I was growing up. I don't know if it's a perfect movie - I don't know that the perfect movie exists, or even *can* exist - but it's incredibly well-written, directed, acted, and edited. It doesn't waste a moment of screen time: every image that appears and every word that's spoken serves the story. I watched it four times in the theater, and for the last almost 30 years it has been one of the first films I re-add to my collection every time I upgrade my home entertainment system. A great movie, even by the standards of an era when great movies were far more common than they are today (seriously, check out the Oscars class of 1993 - it was a good year).
@ZARDOZ HASPOKEN Indeed I do. Bear in mind that I've had almost 30 years now of *not* dismissing all Westerns as "boring, Brown movies" - I've done some catching up on that span.
Speaking of lies, I really love how English Bob drops the posh accent for a cockney one whenever he's too preoccupied by other things to care. It adds another level to his personality where not only are his actions bullshit, but even his posh british identity is as well.
I love how the woman starts explaining what they did to ned and u can see how munney just lets it go and starts sipping on that whiskey and becomes what he sought to leave behind
I'm perplexed, whether we either burn down all the "Hollywood" studios or to block all access to them, slowly turn around, walk away, and ignoring them while they fall into disarray.
@@trevorgrubb3608 it's meh. lots of questionable shits. for example how he not hear those big truck and tank noises right after he loses his friend. just two soldiers standing near!? if he heard them he could have requested immediate help for his friend. lots of little questionable stuffs bothered me lot.
For my dad and I it was sci-fi, and the first Predator film. I miss him, like he just left the room. When they're not in the room we only have our memories to prove that they existed, we only know they existed somewhen. Apparantly all time is happening at the same time, we just don't experience that way. Even before your father existed he was always part of our universe and always will be.
To this day, I consider this the end of the Dollars series. Blondie becoming old, reflecting on his past mistakes as an outlaw, and just wanting to live out the rest of his days in quiet. With the cinematic goggles taken off, the ideals thrown off, and the curtains drawn back to show how things really were. And in the end, showing that he could be that type of man again if shoved. It's honestly one of my most favorite movies, and glad to see others enjoyed it as well
I loved how when Eastwood was told that Freeman was captured he simply, with no hesitation at all, asked for the whiskey bottle as he listened. I was like, "oh shit just got real..." That was a John WIck "you killed my dog" moment but more subtle and effective seeing how firmly he was refusing alcohol throughout the movie
And Hackman turned the role down out of hand, saying he didn't want to do another violent film. Eastwood told him "that's not quite what it is" and sent him the script.
@@zmajodnocaja5088 Naw, they have their hands full discriminating against males. I say "males" and not "men" because they also discriminate against males below the age of consent.
@@flingmonkey5494 Yep guilty by birth apparently. Stop acting and behaving to your nature here take all these prescription drugs to behave in a more acceptable manner. ^_^
@@Minervastouch Have you ever seen the sci-fi movie "THX1138"? I saw it a couple of times and also read the book. In that story "drug evasion" was a capital crime.
That begs the question, would the Last Jedi have been better if at the end Luke showed up and was just like, “everyone who don’t want to die, better leave out the back”
@Jethro Derp Ah, a masterfully veiled criticism of American colonialism in a Middle East, with a sudden lack of fuel reminiscing Oil Crisis and problems of our environment then. 11/10 Dildobrain von Dangerhair
No way - Eastwood has his own talent to look after. If any character that emerges from the hell that we created isn't worth their salt, then we still have better role models that still stand to the test of time. Good memorable movies and shows do exist for a reason.
Because of this review I watched Unforgiven. That final scene where he's leaving town; my emotions were everywhere and my mind was imagining a thousand different scenarios of how it was going to play out, yet it still quietly surpassed my expectations. Thank you Drinker you quietly over-competent champion of iconoclastic ideas, inquisitional imagination and occasional idolatry. (Feel free to quote that)
I knew The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) back after he’d finished Unforgiven. He was working as a waiter at a steak house in my home city. It was always kind of weird to see him serving tables after just being in an Academy Award winning movie with Clint Eastwood.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly is one of my all-time favorite movies, and Eastwood is one of my all-time favorite cinematic heroes. Consistently outstanding films one after another. “I have a very strict gun control policy: if there’s a gun around, I want to be in control of it.” -Clint Eastwood
Spaghetti Westerns in general are awesome. Lee Van Cleef was a badass on par with Eastwood, maybe even tougher. Look at his intro in For A Few Dollars More - ice cold. LVC made some amazing films in Italy and later featured in "The Master" (a great guilty pleasure).
It's definitely in my top ten all-time favourites. But then, I'm not sure it would be number one in my top ten list of favourite Clint Eastwood westerns, (I'd probably go for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Or Josey Wales...).. The man is a living legend.
Perhaps one of the most powerful scenes is when Munny takes to the bottle. Up until that point the film was just a job he took on to help his family out and he largely stayed the same as when we first see him. By the end it got personal and the old Munny came out and he was fuelled by the desire for nothing but cold hard revenge
This was one of my father's all-time favorites. He passed away about 3 months ago, and I've been revisiting some of the movies that were special to him. Thanks for this, Mr. Drinker. My dad loved the clips of yours that I showed him over the years
“I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned.” One of the few movies I own a physical copy of.
well , find me a western gunfighter /outlaw who did kill women and children. This movie went over the top on that line. Ask any hardcore criminal what they think of killing children or people that do. Such people dont live to retire, not in America now or back then
@@chrisperrien7055 Did you miss the point where the Drinker went on about how it's not romantic, or cool, or nice, but jaded, evil, harsh and dark? It wasn't glorified, it was just stated.
@@chrisperrien7055 he was most likely a soldier that killed indians or mexicans before becoming an outlaw gunslinger. back in those times there were less codes of war than there are today, they could basically do anything to anyone
Eastwood had the midas touch when it came to western movies: Unforgiven, Pale rider, the outlaw Josie Wales, the man with no name trilogy...all first class productions.
"Unforgiven" is actually the only movie where the "aging" Hero was handled perfectly. Unlike Indiana Jones 4, Rambo and Rocky 5,6 or whatever and so on.
I would agree, with the exception of Rambo IV. The last one wasn't a bad movie, by any means - and refreshing, considering the average manure, that is being served in cinema nowadays. But it was unnecessary. Rambo IV summed up the character and went full circles with the first film (in a way, one could almost call it a prequel). "First Blood", in a way, was the story of what became of the character; "John Rambo" gives us a hint, of how he became that character...
@@fenriz218 In Rambo IV John really felt like John...but sadly i couldn´t stand the altered face of Sly and the CGI Blood...both distracted me way too much.
@@antraxxslingshots Yeah, the CGI occasionally distracted me too, but apparently the budget was very low, and Stallone paid parts of the production costs himself. But still it conveyed the core message: that war is both messy and ugly. When we watched the second and third Rambo as teenager, those were considered "cool movies". Rambo stabbing and shooting some Russian hulk-soldier, pushing him down a tunnel and THEN blowing him up... these films were almost like comic books. But Rambo IV didn't glorify anything. Had that been the final chapter, it would have been just perfect. The reason I don't agree with some people's sentiment, the Eastwood should do another Western. More movies..? Sure, as long as he's fit and capable, but, imo, he wrote the final chapter with The Unforgiven. Can't top something, that's pretty much perfect...
Re-watched it for the first time in years. Clint Eastwood is great, but for me, the big draw is Gene Hackman. His smug but tired smile, his effortless slime is endlessly watchable. Always entertaining, in everything. Never seen him just phone in a performance.
“Unforgiven” was arguably the best film of 1992. I was 18 when it was released and it make quite a lasting impression on me. Now you all know what an old git I am. Go away now!
18 in '92 and he calls himself old... Son, you really don't have a clue what old really is. It begins in having to gear yourself up to put your socks on and ends in diapers.
Don't forget the epilogue - adds a whole new layer - he gets away with everything: During the epilogue, a title card states that Munny left the pig farm with his children and is rumored to have moved to San Francisco, prospering in dry goods." He does change in the end. This was his last hurrah.
i think the end of the movie is that he had, indeed changed... the problem is that's not the same as redemption. He's not the man he was, but he still has to live with what he was. Some people don't get forgiven.
It the total opposite. He had changed even though he had to go back and do it one last time and even drink the whiskey. But he returns with his family and confirms what he had been saying during the entire film..his wife had changed him long ago, he wasn't that man anymore.
@@papayaman78 I mean he spends the entire movie saying he’s changed, and then proceeds to murder an entire room full of men, including one who wasn’t armed and then joked about it. And then we hear Little Bill’s final words: “I’ll see you in Hell, William Muney.” Muney agrees and then murders him. But the line that got me the most was when the kid tried to convince himself that the men “had it coming,” to which Muney replied, “we all have it coming, kid.” It’s beautiful and tragic. He knows there is no redemption for him, as much as he’d like to wish there could be.
I remember when this movie came out. I really had no love for violent movies. So, I didn’t have any desire to see it. However, about two years later; I was reading an interview with Gene Hackman, and he was talking about how he had retired because he was sick of the glorification of violence in movies. So, when Clint came along; he told him “hell no,” but Clint told him to read the script and he would realize that it spoke the truth about violence and it’s repercussions. I saw the movie with that in mind, and loved it. By the way, my own writing now contains tons of violence, but I try to make it so that it’s never gratuitous.
I just found out about you 3 days ago and have been binging so hard. You're amazing and this level of narration and brilliance is akin to shit i think so it's like finding a random friend you never knew you had. Thank you.
In one scene , you can see the “smoke” of a stream train , that in fact is our asphalt plant . We were paving close to their shooting location ... they had to add the train whistle in post production
"If he's faster, he'll be in a hurry and he'll miss." "and if he doesn't miss?" "...then he'll kill ya...that's why there's so few dangerous men around like Old Bob...and like me"
Unforgiven also got a pretty solid adaptation/re-telling in 2012 with a Japanese version (also called Unforgiven) starring the bloody great Ken Watanabe.
I thiught it was really good. Watch Uzama Twilight, another great samuri movie about an extra in Samurai drama. Wonderful editing and subtle. You don't have to be hit over the head and shown what has happened. Superb film.
If only Kurosawa had lived longer - we could have returned the compliment for "Seven Samurai"/"Magnificent Seven" (both great movies of course, as Unforgiven is).
"I was lucky in the order, but I've always been lucky when it comes to killin' folks". I just love that line for some reason, so simple yet it hold such gravitas.
Best ending to a film I have ever seen. His whole persona changes on the hilltop. You learn the full extent of his past, the Schofield Kid is afraid of him. I literally cannot put in to words how completely awesome that scene is. You know something bad is coming and it doesn't let you down. His final words to the town is frightening and in total contrast to the William Munny we've seen for the majority of the film. I wish I could forget it so I can enjoy it for the first time again. 10 out of 10 for sure and my all time favourite film
''I am riding out of town and if any of you so much as give me a dirty look,i will kill every man, woman and child in this shithole,and then i will kill all your pets'' was that the line?
@@davidlyon1899 not quite. Let's call it a paraphrase. "All right, I'm coming out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife, all his friends, and burn his damn house down." --Will Munny
The contrast between the writer and the actual gunslinger is such an awesome commentary on Clint's previous characters and cliches. When he kills everyone in the bar and explains with "I guess I got lucky with the order. I was always lucky when it comes to killing folks" or something like that. Its just perfection
This delivery of Unforgiven has created a poignant question in my mind: What is the antithesis of a Mary Sue? Here, it seems that Clint Eastwood's character embodies that antithesis. This is the same type of character we see in movies like Logan, where the hero whom we remember as being nearly unstoppable is now a broken person just struggling to survive . Drinker, would you consider doing a youtube video montaging "anti" Mary Sue characters? Something to consider, thanks for your awesome channel so far.
Avatar:The Last Airbender has an anti-Mary Sue:a girl who is shown practicing and being perfectionistic, Any friends she has act that way because they fear her,she had the potential to be the strongest bender in the world,but she loses everyone,and even her sanity.
Saw this a couple of times upon release - i considered it an instant classic that I immediately put up with my favourite westerns of all time (most predating this by 20+years) - a few months later and Clint is rightly holding a gold statue in each hand. I cant think of a major realease since that has achieved such commercial aclaim whilst also being a genuine masterpiece for the ages.
Unforgiven came out around the same time as Silence of the Lambs which was pretty much the same thing: instant classic, universal acclaim, pile of oscars, etc
I felt like when it came to Munny, that even though the sensationalism of his past was fake. The movie depicts that he was somehow worse. They talk of him killing women and children. Logan tells him that the story the kid told him about how he gunned down 2 men, he remembers that it was actually 3. So throughout the movie we're hearing about this badass but seeing something different till that final gunfight. And we see that he had to be drunk in order to do it. We get to see the horrible man that we heard about throughout the film. And then find ourselves rooting for a monster. He asks for skinny and then tells the people in back to clear out of the way. Making it clear what he's about to do. None of them can believe it. Like, there's no way he's going to shoot an unarmed man in front of the entire sheriff's posse. Then that line. "Well he should have armed himself. If he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend." It was chilling.
Don't forget his threat to anyone that took a shot at him when he was leaving town "I won't only kill him, I'll kill his whole family and burn his house down". Will Munny wasn't a nice guy, brilliant acting from Hackman and Eastwood to make us root for Munny over Dagget, even though one is a law man and the other a murderer
@wargent99 I missed it, you are right. That might be there to sink in the whole idea: Bill was never good or skilled at anything, the guy could not win the only "duel" of the film or even repair his roof. He was threatening enough to be respected and had a steady enough hand to execute people. They call it at the beginning, "never seen him afraid..." He was willing to do a dirty and risky work no one else wanted to do because he had the balls to do it, not because he was good at it.
@@cstlbrvo5615 Exactly--look at the Cowboys in Tombstone. They were actually - and the movie depicts this accurately - *deputized* by the sheriff to hunt down Wyatt Earp and his group during the Vengeance Ride
Probably missing the point a bit but I love how the movie spends the majority of its run-time trying to convince us that Munney is washed up, out of his league, and committed to burying his past. But when shit hits the fan and work needs doing, he reverts back to the savage killer he was, and has a whole town quaking in fear of him. Such a powerful moment, and whilst I know there are other themes the title of the work is "Unforgiven", and so that climactic sequence has stuck with me long after I first saw it. Character arcs are wonderful narrative devices, but this sequence says that people don't really change.
The cast doesn't get much stronger, and the genre is definitely appealing, but I'm most impressed by how well the roles and actors were paired here. Nice work, casting director 👏.
The true mundane reality that this movie shed light on is. for me, that Clint's character was never romantic, he was a cold blooded psychopath who was fueled by booze and rage. Dynamiting a train killing women and children isn't how the bandit character was ever played. Eastwood was pure genius here, completely deconstructing the heroic outlaw.
I agree. There is never any attempt to show that Eastwood was a any sort of heroic figure. Like you said, even though he had mellowed out and was trying to live a different life, the brutal violence that he was capable of was always there, just below the surface, just waiting for the right circumstances to bring it out. When those circumstances were there, he blew an unarmed man away and gunned down half a dozen others without blinking an eye. I always remember how he casually shot the last deputy while he was laying on the floor groaning like he was killing a bug.
I saw this notification and immediately rolled my eyes, "Who hasn't seen unforgiven? It's a classic Eastwood-western!" Then I felt old...because young people.
Real underrated scene with Ned and the kid discussing/planning next steps when Will's sick. The kid asks what were they gonna do if Munny dies. Ned simply replies, "we'll bury him."
Clint's face and eyes, in that scene (under that tree, beneath that grey sky) when he's talking to that kid.... That's one of the best scenes in cinematic history! "We all got it coming, kid..." Awesome line! Perfect delivery!
A lot of Westerns were adapted from Samurai films, and in 2008 the reverse happened with Unforgiven when Clint's classic was adapted into a sword flick.
"Did he fire six shots or only five'? Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, i kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a . 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?"
What a great review of a timeless classic! That moment when Little Bill is posturing about the glorious manhunt he's about to launch for Munny, only to turn around and find Munny standing right there, staring him down, shotgun-in-hand, is the very definition of BADASS! "I really can't praise this film enough." - We park our cars in the same garage, my friend!
Hackman positively bristled in every scene he was in. Even the first time I watched the movie, not knowing what was to come, the man radiated unrealised violence, just in his bearing.
One of best lines ever - after Clint shoots the bar keeper Gene Hackman says “that was an unarmed man”! Clint replies “well he should’ve armed himself if he’s going to decorate his bar with my friend (the dead body of Morgan freeman), or something along those lines, I haven’t seen it in a while but I always remember that part. Bad ass!!!!
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. So damn good, so well acted, so well put together, and so damn honest about itself. I miss movies like this.
The Shootist is one of my favorite movies. “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand upon. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
@Rob Irvine What part of The Shootist says it’s a just world? The main character is morally grey at best and the people wanting to take advantage of his legend are scummy. The main character gets shot in the back by the bartender in the end even though he stacked the deck against himself with people who wanted him dead for their own reasons in order to die before his cancer could get him. He’s just saying his rule of thumb when it comes to dealing with other people. Me thinks you don’t know what you’re talking about.
That was a great line, but the best was "It's a hell of a thing killin' a man. You take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have." There's a lot going on there when you think about it
I was never big on Westerns, but I saw this movie when it came out, immediately loved it, and have watched it several times since. I loved it because it's not just an exceptionally good Western; it's an exceptionally good _movie_ -- one that invites repeated viewings.
I still love that line: “You cowardly snake, you just killed an unarmed man.” “Well, he should have armed himself if he was going to decorate his bar with my friend.”
Fukin' A.
Cold blooded
It wasn't until the fourth time I saw this film that I heard the second half of Eastwood's line. The first three times, the audience was laughing so hard I couldn't make out a word of what he was saying.
@@Proud-Ally 18%
Who's the fella owns this shit hole? You, fat man. Speak up.
Clint Eastwood’s handling of the Old Gunslinger in Unforgiven is how Luke Skywalker should’ve been handled: a fitting, respectful ending.
Nah cant do that today, gives credit to an established and loved white male character.
Unfortunately Lucas wasn't 1/10th the filmmaker Eastwood was and sold out his Creative Spirit long, long ago.
@@Mrch33ky You are correct, however, the original Star-wars is a fantastic film. Just my opinion, but I believe it is the greatest film of all time.
Amen.
I love Gene Hackman's description of a real gun fight those 45 caliber Colts were nothing but cannons
The best part I think of the unforgiven is that Clint Eastwood purchased the rights to the story and sat on them for over 10 years waiting until he was old enough to properly play the role. no BS of "lets put wrinkles and false wrinkles on." No lets wait a decade until I am an old fart and then lets make the movie about an old man. Guy is a bloody legend!
Thirty years on, and he's still making movies
@@lukerichardson2404 Yeah, but he mostly directs now, and for fucks sake, he's badass at that too.
Bless that man
Because he knows it's not just about wrinkles on your face. To really play that character, to make an aged, past-his-prime, former legend who just wants to be left alone, and atone for his past man, you can't just look old, you have to BE old. You have to let life kick you in the nuts a few times, just so you can learn how to get back up from it. To believably show real pain, and loss, and sorrow, you have to have gone through it.
Sorry for the screenwriter who had to wait. Hope he got the full screenplay purchase price and not the cheap option price until Clint wa finally ready.
"I don't deserve to die like this. I was building a house."
"Deserve ain't got nuthin to do with it."
I use that with my wife, kids, coworkers and reports whenever I hear complaints about "deserve."
"... l'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned... but I reckon you don't deserve it."
Oh shit, I though he said “I was billy the horse”
See you in hell William Munny
Yep
We all have it coming kid.
"Clint Fucking Eastwood"
Thank you, so many people forget to say his middle name.
Facts
So satisfying
Mr Eastwood might take offense..
😅
Wait till you hear what happened to him in real life while in the military. My respect on the man went 10 folds.
**Scotsman gushes about American Westerns for 10 minutes**
Now THIS is some cultural appropriation I can get behind.
Where do you think a lot of the settlers came from? Reappropriation of culture maybe? Haha.
Remember that time the US copied Scotland's revolution...
Now that's some cultural appropriation I can get behind
I find it disgusting he's a Scot drinking a bottle of Jack!
@@ColonelRoge It is invigorating. He is drinking "Tennessee Whiskey" while talking about an American Western. I wish more actual Americans had his sense of our culture. Technically he should be drinking scotch, but let the guy role-play as he knows his shit!
:: draws revolver and fires from the hip, hitting target with impeccable accuracy ::
:: toasts to you with mutual shots of Bourbon ::
@@Nesseight 🤣 Well i can't argue with that, however i'll pit your Tennessee Whiskey against a single malt any day of the week. (opens a bottle of Tennessee whiskey to test claim is true)
Eastwood literally bought this script and shelved it till he was the age he wanted the character to be.
Is that really how this went?
@@imperialbricks1977 Yep. I heard his son say that on Joe Rogan's podcast then found an old interview where Clint said he waited till he was older to do it
@@calebgodard4554 bis son told alot of horseshit though. Not sure this one is true
Some gain or lose weight for a role. Clint gained wrinkles.
Yeah, it was originally called "The murderer William Mundy" or something like that. Several actors were interested in it, including Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner. Clint bought the rights and shelved in for over a decade, and Morgan freeman was thrilled to get the call from Clint.
My biggest memory of this movie is Eastwood repeatedly saying "I ain't that kind of man anymore", until the climatic fight where he was that kind of man again.
A corruption arc? Or it’s just a call back to “I only want to kill when the person wrongs me”
Remember that country song I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. Get half a bottle of whiskey and a man who's been sober for over a decade, and for about 20 minutes he's just a kid again.
He was saying that to himself and hoping that if he said it enough times he would eventually believe it. He was always that guy.
“Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”
Like you said, you ain't like that no more.
That's right! I'm not no killin' fool.
Not no more.
“I don’t deserve to die like this. I was building a house.”
“Deserve’s got *nothin’* to do with it.”
"I'll see you in Hell, William Munny."
*click-clack, long beat* "Yeah."
Ah man I love that line. So great and delivered with perfect timing
Call me a nihilist (don't worry, I have no problem with that... "pronoun"), but that line essentially sums up life. Whether you lived like a monk, whether you lived like a beast, found redemption or not... when you take your last breath, "deserving" has nothin' to do with anything...
I shed a tear when he says "Yeah".
@Jay Ess He was the most evil character in the movie.
Morgan Freeman has been old his whole life.
Maybe call it 'seasoned.'
He's literally "getting too old for this $hit!"
When Morgan Freeman first saw himself crying in a mirror, he became instantly old and remained that way for the rest of his life.
@@MegaDcmp Freeman was on Sesame Street. He didn't get his first real acting break in movies until he was approaching 50. As I recall about 45or 46. He is not a youthful-looking black man. So even when he was in his late 40's he looked older. I'm 55, suffered a heart attack and no one believes me about either. It's all in the genes. A healthy diet and working out helps. I had oily skin and acne when I was younger. It was horrible. Still have oily skin. An older woman told me when I get older I will glad I had oily skin. I think she was right. It never hurts when people....black people... think I am 10 years younger than I am. :)
@@JohnDoe-yi4xd To be a nerd , I think he was on "The Electric Company" first and that show and Sesame Street shared alot of actors/actresses, besides their connection to Mississippi Educational TV/PBS , which Jim Henson also a native of Mississppi like Freeman brought all that together and made made really memorable with his Muppets.
the ending where clint is issuing his threats and the lightning is illuminating his face,he is literally the embodiment of the angel of death.serious goosebumps every time
Fuck yeah!! "You better bury Ned RIGHT! And don't let me hear about nobody cuttin up or OTHERWISE harmin no whores!!"
@@jonathonholifield3166 or i'll come back and kill every one of you sons of bitches...just got goosebumps writing that mate haha have a good day
He rides a pale horse
@@keithleverette631 spot on mate,surely clint put that detail in intentionally
That’s a good point. I always wondered why Little Bill said “I don’t deserve this” and was answered with “deserve’s got nothing to do with it”.
The bar scene where the man he once was briefly emerges is one of the most electric moments in cinema. His speech still gives the shivers.
Spot on. My heart was thumping through my chest when I first watched it
When they kill Morgan Freeman, stick his body on the porch of the bar and they're all like: "Na it'll be fine..." and then Clint turns up and shoots the landlord and Little Bill is all like: "Well sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch. You just shot an unarmed man." and Clint's like: "He should have armed himself....... if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend."
Fucking awesome.
I completely agree with you brother that was my favorite scene in any Western I've ever seen!! Gene Hackman's character got off easy compared to what I would have done to him in the same situation. I would have found him in his house and cut him into little bitty pieces while he screamed his brains out. He tortured Morgan Freeman's character to death and I would have done the same to him. Nothing worse than a piece of s*** corrupt lawman. And they think they're righteous in the other guy is not. I love how God can find use for even the worst devil. Not that I think God had anything to do with that but you know what I mean
I'm realizing the irony here, decades old movie and all... But spoilers!! Lol
@White Knight "You gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?"
@@bigchief206 Are you one of those tools?
An actual killer walks into a bar, he's fucking scary in a quiet way.
I will never forget when munney realises his mate is dead, and picks up the whiskey. You know from that point onwards that shit will hit the fan. 10/10
That was exactly the point when he abandoned all moral restraints and became Munny again.
You coulda heard a pin drop..
Agreed, it was such a foreboding moment I was immediately filled with dread. That point to the end of the movie is one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all time imo.
I noticed that to, most people seemed to have missed that shot? He reaches over, takes the bottle from the kid, and you know all hell is about to break loose.
Soon as he snatches the bottle from the kid, Little Bill is dead.
One of my favorite aspects of the film is how Little Bill explains the actual technique of gunslinging. It's not being fast that's important, it's being calm and accurate, which is actually how the best of the gunslingers were. The guy who won was usually the one who took that extra critical second or two to aim properly when his opponent fired wildly from the hip. And that's exactly how Munny is victorious in the shootout at the end. Little Bill was unnerved, understandably so, before Will misfired and he fired first when he had the shotgun thrown at him because he panicked. Will kept his head, crouched low, and took his time to aim, one bullet for each man while Little Bill's deputies fired wildly in fear. Excellent setup based in real facts.
Phenomenal film.
Watching that scene for the first time, I was immediately reminded of an old "60 Minutes" (?) interview with author Louis L'Amour. That guy busted Old West myths for me much like Little Bill did for Beauchamp.
Edit: Holy crap, I found it!
czcams.com/video/0da3C2BLCro/video.html&ab_channel=ManufacturingIntellect
It's also about how taking a life isn't for everyone.
Real historical examples are few, but maybe the best true lines about this comes from Wyatt Earp. He wrote about gunfighting maybe the best line ever written “Fast is fine but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry."
On a related note, Earp lived long enough to take part in early western movies as a consultant. It could correctly be said that the entire genre is largely based on Earp.
To me that scene with Little Bill explaining how to actually handle yourself in a gun battle is one of the best examples of foreshadowing in any movie. The movie in general has so many layers to it that most movies can only dream of having.
How do you know pal
I didn't even noticed that The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly had 3hrs long duration.. just how great it is
Fucking love that movie.
I watched it many times and I’ve never realized that 😂
Yes.
One of the greatest films of all time and one of my favourites.
The sign of a great film - I have the worst ADHD but if I can see thru a 2 hour + film, it’s cause it’s REALLY GOOD hahahah
Drinker: God I miss movies like this
everyone: so do we... so do we.
Not allowed to make movies with tough guy men now. "toxic masculinity" bah. I blame Gillette and that stupid advert.
@DillyDyson007 @6581punk Gillette was just another symptom and not the cause. The rot started to set in long before that.
@DillyDyson007 There's a bit of sarcasm in there for sure :) the advert people went "nah, it'll be fine" but it wasn't. "P&G reported a net loss of about $5.24 billion - or $2.12 per share - for the quarter ended June 30, due to an $8 billion non-cash writedown of Gillette,"
Go woke,. go broke :D
A fucking men
Bill Munny:
Hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
The Schofield Kid:
Yeah, well, I guess he had it comin'.
Bill Munny:
We all got it comin', kid.
when i read "Schofield" i immidiately though of Prison Break.
Read that as Bill Murray
@@etherpirate When he was on GMTV?
I would have been disappointed if someone didn’t quote this.lol👍
@Mrmonkeyhanger Bill Munny and Bill Murray look similar enough in my head I guess that I just read that in Bill Murray’s Voice. Then I started thinking of what he would have been like in the movie instead of Clint Eastwood. Kinda fun to this about Bill Murray in other classic rolls.
The Schofield Kid: _refusing to take back his gun_ "You go on, keep it. I'm never gonna use it again. I won't kill nobody no more. I ain't like you, Will."
So many awesome moments of character clarity in this movie.
The best part of that scene for me was watching The Schofield Kid's expression change as the girl described all the killings that William Munny did when he was younger.
It’s a hell of a thing killing a man…
A fairly mundane line, transformed by the simple phrase: 'I ain't like you, Will'. F'kin craft. Can I hijack here to recommend to The Drinker and others 'The Proposition', a not well known but very well written and made film from 2005, exploring some comparable themes.
I always wonder what the kid's reaction would be once he hears what Will did in the saloon that night.
@@dr.nightmare2799 In the original script the kid later committed suicide
"She was a comely young woman and not without prospects. Therefore it was heartbreaking to her mother that she would enter into marriage with William Munny, a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition. When she died, it was not at his hands as her mother might have expected but of smallpox. That was 1878."
Claudia Munny saved her husband, and in a sense she saves him again by the end of the movie. Munny embraces his old darkness one last time to avenge his friend, but his love of his wife and their children is absolute.
"Guess he had it coming huh?"
"We *ALL* have it coming kid"
Meh. It's not as good as "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', kid.' From 'Jossie Wales'
@@IggyTthunders It's damn close tho !
Sometimes you just get lucky
Take a drink kid.
One of the cowboys they assassinated actually attempted to make amends to the prostitutes beforehand, and the way his death is portrayed rather differently (not in a good way, if you know what I mean).
Various characters felt remorse for having killed a man after that...... whereas the audience have the additional knowledge that the dude probably doesn't deserve to die.
“So, who’d you kill first?”
“All I can tell you is who’s going to be last.”
I guess you are pretty proud of your profile pic.
You know it's good when every subsequent western declares itself "the best western since Unforgiven!"
For me that would be Taratino's The Hateful Eight, far as best westerns since. Its hard to compare the two as they have distinctly different tones.
@@Klaaism Open Range, though I wish they would've gone into the importance of barb wire more than they did.
@@Seven_Leaf Not a huge Kevin Costner fan, but it was a surprisingly good movie. I had to be dragged into it as I wasn't expecting much. Glad to be wrong.
@@Seven_LeafI love Open Range, though I've always thought the pacing is a bit off. But that's a minor gripe. The friendship between Costner's and Duvall's characters is electric and a real joy to watch, and that overshadows any flaws.
Old Henry
Perhaps that was Clint’s way of saying “go away, now” to the genre.
"Well, he shoulda armed himself."
Unforgiven and Tombstone; two of the greats.
Yup, Tombstone. How good was Val Kilmer in that? Still gives me the chills.
Don't leave out Quigley Down Under. :P
I would suggest you might like Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch".
@@rogermorris9696 "Outlaw Josey Wales"; incredible and epic movie
@@andy6576 Good pic also a big fan of older movies like Shane and High Noon.
The best quote in this film, though there is many:
"I'll see you in hell, William Munny."
"Yeah."
The final scene is more tense than most horror films.
He's the equivalent of Jason Vorhees when he walks into that bar...
Hunnet percent
Spot on!
“Any man that don’t want to get killed better clear on out the back.”
@@kenb2671 "Who's the fella that owns this shithole?"
"God I miss movies like this." Is the understatement of a lifetime, still my favorite ending in a movie and always will be
Ok, but this movie in particular sets a lofty bar
I just watched an interview with Scott Eastwood and Joe Rogan, and Scott said that Clint actually sat on the script for this movie for ten years because he didn't feel he was old enough yet to make the movie. That is dedication to telling a good story.
*The Kid, finally understanding how badly out of his depth he is:* "I guess I'd rather be blind and ragged than dead."
*Will:* "I ain't gonna shoot you, Kid. You're the only friend I've got."
_Unforgiven_ is one of my all-time favorite films; it's the movie that convinced me to give Westerns a chance after dismissing the entire genre as my father's "boring brown movies" when I was growing up. I don't know if it's a perfect movie - I don't know that the perfect movie exists, or even *can* exist - but it's incredibly well-written, directed, acted, and edited. It doesn't waste a moment of screen time: every image that appears and every word that's spoken serves the story. I watched it four times in the theater, and for the last almost 30 years it has been one of the first films I re-add to my collection every time I upgrade my home entertainment system. A great movie, even by the standards of an era when great movies were far more common than they are today (seriously, check out the Oscars class of 1993 - it was a good year).
That is why Clint Eastwood is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
@ZARDOZ HASPOKEN Indeed I do. Bear in mind that I've had almost 30 years now of *not* dismissing all Westerns as "boring, Brown movies" - I've done some catching up on that span.
Philistine47 1992--94 was a great year for film.
Gran Torino was pretty much perfect.
Watch The Outlaw Josey Wales. That entire movie is awesome. The old Indian guys hilarious.
Speaking of lies, I really love how English Bob drops the posh accent for a cockney one whenever he's too preoccupied by other things to care. It adds another level to his personality where not only are his actions bullshit, but even his posh british identity is as well.
Yeah, pretense and posture is a big theme in the film.
I didn't notice that at first, but yeah he switches out when he's leaving town.
Isn't everyone like that, changing their accents and running from their past.
Good spot!
I love how the woman starts explaining what they did to ned and u can see how munney just lets it go and starts sipping on that whiskey and becomes what he sought to leave behind
"Well I guess he had it coming."
"We all have it coming, kid."
I watch this scene often. Film Perfection.
This is one of those movies I don't watch often; it's too good
"God I miss movies like this." Instead we get movies like Captain Marvel.
Or Scrap war
@@trevorgrubb3608 It used to be that you could pick a year, and people could recite a dozen or more great movies.
I'm perplexed, whether we either burn down all the "Hollywood" studios or to block all access to them, slowly turn around, walk away, and ignoring them while they fall into disarray.
@@trevorgrubb3608 it's meh. lots of questionable shits. for example how he not hear those big truck and tank noises right after he loses his friend. just two soldiers standing near!? if he heard them he could have requested immediate help for his friend. lots of little questionable stuffs bothered me lot.
Was Harrison Ford ever in a Western ? I know he's like the space cowboy and the archaeologist cowboy
My dad was a huge Clint fan and westerns in general, I saw this movie with him years back . I miss him.
For my dad and I it was sci-fi, and the first Predator film. I miss him, like he just left the room. When they're not in the room we only have our memories to prove that they existed, we only know they existed somewhen. Apparantly all time is happening at the same time, we just don't experience that way. Even before your father existed he was always part of our universe and always will be.
*Silverfirefly1*
That's pretty deep. Are you saying that the past, present, and future are happening simultaneously?
Same here. What a shit world now ...
Woulda loved Open Range, Assassination of Jesse, The Proposition, SHIT i can go on
I miss Clint as well
To this day, I consider this the end of the Dollars series. Blondie becoming old, reflecting on his past mistakes as an outlaw, and just wanting to live out the rest of his days in quiet. With the cinematic goggles taken off, the ideals thrown off, and the curtains drawn back to show how things really were. And in the end, showing that he could be that type of man again if shoved. It's honestly one of my most favorite movies, and glad to see others enjoyed it as well
I am not alone in thinking this.
I actually like that angle.
This movie has the most bad ass final 30 minutes of any movie ever
I loved how when Eastwood was told that Freeman was captured he simply, with no hesitation at all, asked for the whiskey bottle as he listened. I was like, "oh shit just got real..." That was a John WIck "you killed my dog" moment but more subtle and effective seeing how firmly he was refusing alcohol throughout the movie
“Any men don’t wanna get killed better clear on out the back”
Out the back I go...
Pendejo I woulda jumped out a window haha
Classic Eastwood
@@cosuinofdeath Yeah, and then you would get killed because the man said the back, not the window. You're not too bright there, are ya?
I say this every day i walk into the office.
Gene Hackman’s Oscar winning performance was spectacular.
And Hackman turned the role down out of hand, saying he didn't want to do another violent film. Eastwood told him "that's not quite what it is" and sent him the script.
The Duck of Death himself.
@The Other Point Of View yeah, I can't stand the whole idea thesedays that simply discussing something is tantamount to glorifying it.
"It's a hell of a thing killing a man. You take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have." Isn't that, like, the Family Court system?
It's a divorce lawyers' creedo.
next you gonna say is that they are now discriminating against white folks...
@@zmajodnocaja5088 Naw, they have their hands full discriminating against males. I say "males" and not "men" because they also discriminate against males below the age of consent.
@@flingmonkey5494 Yep guilty by birth apparently. Stop acting and behaving to your nature here take all these prescription drugs to behave in a more acceptable manner. ^_^
@@Minervastouch Have you ever seen the sci-fi movie "THX1138"? I saw it a couple of times and also read the book. In that story "drug evasion" was a capital crime.
That final scene in the saloon is honestly one of the finest moments in cinema history.
"Unforgiven" is a movie that "The Last Jedi" wanted to be...and failed
That begs the question, would the Last Jedi have been better if at the end Luke showed up and was just like, “everyone who don’t want to die, better leave out the back”
All the Star Wars franchise has to do is transpose classic western and WW2 film plots into space. They can't even manage that.
@Jethro Derp Ah, a masterfully veiled criticism of American colonialism in a Middle East, with a sudden lack of fuel reminiscing Oil Crisis and problems of our environment then.
11/10
Dildobrain von Dangerhair
At least they tried something different
@@eye_despise4746 Yeah, they tried subvert our expectations by making a pile of shit. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Clint Eastwood should ask himself: "What would Snowflake and Safespace do?"
No way - Eastwood has his own talent to look after.
If any character that emerges from the hell that we created isn't worth their salt, then we still have better role models that still stand to the test of time. Good memorable movies and shows do exist for a reason.
Watch grand torino
Bill Munny would solve crimes with the use of his internet gas!
Clint’s a Libertarian. Doesn’t care what the snowflakes or the right ringers think.
Because of this review I watched Unforgiven.
That final scene where he's leaving town; my emotions were everywhere and my mind was imagining a thousand different scenarios of how it was going to play out, yet it still quietly surpassed my expectations.
Thank you Drinker you quietly over-competent champion of iconoclastic ideas, inquisitional imagination and occasional idolatry.
(Feel free to quote that)
The score in this movie! MAN!!!
I remember first watching this movie when it first came out. The turning point where William Munny 'reverted' was chilling. Simply a great movie.
Did you watch True Grit? Another amazing western. Two of my favourite movies of all time
@@vietnowsoldo If you want a similar theme from John Wayne, I would suggest The Shootist.
Give it to me@@simonkevnorris
I knew The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) back after he’d finished Unforgiven. He was working as a waiter at a steak house in my home city. It was always kind of weird to see him serving tables after just being in an Academy Award winning movie with Clint Eastwood.
James is a good human being.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly is one of my all-time favorite movies, and Eastwood is one of my all-time favorite cinematic heroes. Consistently outstanding films one after another.
“I have a very strict gun control policy: if there’s a gun around, I want to be in control of it.” -Clint Eastwood
I love that trilogy. Personally love "For a few dollars more"
But man goodbadugly is a masterpiece
Good bad ugly, unforgiven and True Grit. The greatest westerns ever made. Few Dollars More almost as good.
@@shaz2761 Agreed, plus Josey Wales and Pale Rider.
@@shaz2761 personally love For a Few Dollars More. The ending was ... perfect.
Spaghetti Westerns in general are awesome. Lee Van Cleef was a badass on par with Eastwood, maybe even tougher. Look at his intro in For A Few Dollars More - ice cold. LVC made some amazing films in Italy and later featured in "The Master" (a great guilty pleasure).
I literally consider this one of the greatest films ever made.
It's definitely in my top ten all-time favourites. But then, I'm not sure it would be number one in my top ten list of favourite Clint Eastwood westerns, (I'd probably go for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Or Josey Wales...).. The man is a living legend.
Agreed
Outlaw Josey Wales is my favorite. “Vultures got to eat, same as worms.” RIP Uncle Lio
It's perfect
Literally!
Perhaps one of the most powerful scenes is when Munny takes to the bottle. Up until that point the film was just a job he took on to help his family out and he largely stayed the same as when we first see him. By the end it got personal and the old Munny came out and he was fuelled by the desire for nothing but cold hard revenge
This was one of my father's all-time favorites. He passed away about 3 months ago, and I've been revisiting some of the movies that were special to him. Thanks for this, Mr. Drinker. My dad loved the clips of yours that I showed him over the years
“I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned.”
One of the few movies I own a physical copy of.
well , find me a western gunfighter /outlaw who did kill women and children. This movie went over the top on that line. Ask any hardcore criminal what they think of killing children or people that do. Such people dont live to retire, not in America now or back then
@@chrisperrien7055 Did you miss the point where the Drinker went on about how it's not romantic, or cool, or nice, but jaded, evil, harsh and dark? It wasn't glorified, it was just stated.
That scene where she realizes all the stories about him are true. Still get chills watching that scene.
@@chrisperrien7055 he was most likely a soldier that killed indians or mexicans before becoming an outlaw gunslinger. back in those times there were less codes of war than there are today, they could basically do anything to anyone
@@chrisperrien7055 I fail to see what the point of your comment is. Or did you just wanna virtue signal about how you disapprove of child killing?
Not only is it one of the best westerns, it's arguably one of the best movies ever made in my humble opinion.
It's definitely up there.
Outlaw Josey Wales?
@@gregrourke4182 I love that movie as well but I prefer Unforgiven.
One of the best movies - not just Westerns - ever made. Bravo Clint and entire cast.
Eastwood had the midas touch when it came to western movies: Unforgiven, Pale rider, the outlaw Josie Wales, the man with no name trilogy...all first class productions.
You should be assaulted for leaving out High Plains Drifter
"Unforgiven" is actually the only movie where the "aging" Hero was handled perfectly. Unlike Indiana Jones 4, Rambo and Rocky 5,6 or whatever and so on.
John Wayne in "The Shootist" handled it extremely well.
I would agree, with the exception of Rambo IV. The last one wasn't a bad movie, by any means - and refreshing, considering the average manure, that is being served in cinema nowadays. But it was unnecessary. Rambo IV summed up the character and went full circles with the first film (in a way, one could almost call it a prequel). "First Blood", in a way, was the story of what became of the character; "John Rambo" gives us a hint, of how he became that character...
@@fenriz218 In Rambo IV John really felt like John...but sadly i couldn´t stand the altered face of Sly and the CGI Blood...both distracted me way too much.
@@peterblood50 Haven´t seen that one. True Grit also comes to my mind. Both versions showed a very nice portait of an aging shooter.
@@antraxxslingshots Yeah, the CGI occasionally distracted me too, but apparently the budget was very low, and Stallone paid parts of the production costs himself. But still it conveyed the core message: that war is both messy and ugly. When we watched the second and third Rambo as teenager, those were considered "cool movies". Rambo stabbing and shooting some Russian hulk-soldier, pushing him down a tunnel and THEN blowing him up... these films were almost like comic books. But Rambo IV didn't glorify anything. Had that been the final chapter, it would have been just perfect. The reason I don't agree with some people's sentiment, the Eastwood should do another Western. More movies..? Sure, as long as he's fit and capable, but, imo, he wrote the final chapter with The Unforgiven. Can't top something, that's pretty much perfect...
I would give an honourable mention to ; The Outlaw Josey Wales.
"thats what we call a Missouri boat ride."
No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men.
"Man's gotta make a livin" - Bounty Hunter
"dyin' ain't much of a livin' boy" - Josie Wales
Josey Wales: You have any food here?
- Lone Watie: All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin'. It's just for lookin' through.”
"Well, ya gonna PULL those pistols or whistle Dixie?"
Re-watched it for the first time in years. Clint Eastwood is great, but for me, the big draw is Gene Hackman. His smug but tired smile, his effortless slime is endlessly watchable. Always entertaining, in everything. Never seen him just phone in a performance.
One of the best actors ever
Hackman was amazing in the film and he rightfully earned his Oscar for his performance in that film.
"The Duck of Death"! 😂
"Duck" says I@@mickcraven980
Gene Hackman was amazing in just about everything he was ever in.
"Assassins!" Oh yeah and Gene Hackman absolutely killed it in this movie.
That moment when he walks in to the bar and just waits for them to notice.... oh! Epic! They don't make them like that no more...
“Unforgiven” was arguably the best film of 1992. I was 18 when it was released and it make quite a lasting impression on me. Now you all know what an old git I am. Go away now!
18 in '92 and he calls himself old... Son, you really don't have a clue what old really is. It begins in having to gear yourself up to put your socks on and ends in diapers.
@@MrX-hz2hn I was 21 in 1992, and was NEVER flexible enough to put my socks on easily.
Mr. X thank you for making me feel young again sir. I work with a load of “youngsters” and have a 16 year old son so I feel ollld 🤣
@@MrX-hz2hn I ain't to the diapers stage, yet, but that time ain't far away. :)
Socks? Yeah. PITA.
Best of 1992? It's one of the best of all time.
I just watched Unforgiven last night for the first time and holy shit it was amazing, might even be one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.
"We all have it coming kid." Clint is one of the greatest and I'm glad I grew up with his movies.
It’s so heartbreaking when you realize that as much as he wanted to, he never truly changed. There was no escaping what he had long since become.
Don't forget the epilogue - adds a whole new layer - he gets away with everything: During the epilogue, a title card states that Munny left the pig farm with his children and is rumored to have moved to San Francisco, prospering in dry goods." He does change in the end. This was his last hurrah.
@@birchvand I think the fact he 'gets away with it' reinforces Munny's reply to Little Bill before killing him; "Deserve's got nothing to do with it".
i think the end of the movie is that he had, indeed changed... the problem is that's not the same as redemption. He's not the man he was, but he still has to live with what he was. Some people don't get forgiven.
It the total opposite. He had changed even though he had to go back and do it one last time and even drink the whiskey. But he returns with his family and confirms what he had been saying during the entire film..his wife had changed him long ago, he wasn't that man anymore.
@@papayaman78 I mean he spends the entire movie saying he’s changed, and then proceeds to murder an entire room full of men, including one who wasn’t armed and then joked about it. And then we hear Little Bill’s final words: “I’ll see you in Hell, William Muney.” Muney agrees and then murders him. But the line that got me the most was when the kid tried to convince himself that the men “had it coming,” to which Muney replied, “we all have it coming, kid.”
It’s beautiful and tragic. He knows there is no redemption for him, as much as he’d like to wish there could be.
Watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs recently. The episode of the old gold miner is superb
Drakonides the Vigilant Agreed. Didn't care much for the rest of the "shorts" but that segment was fantastic.
It’s a hell of a thing to recommend one of the best movies ever.
Actually a wonderful thing
I remember when this movie came out. I really had no love for violent movies. So, I didn’t have any desire to see it. However, about two years later; I was reading an interview with Gene Hackman, and he was talking about how he had retired because he was sick of the glorification of violence in movies. So, when Clint came along; he told him “hell no,” but Clint told him to read the script and he would realize that it spoke the truth about violence and it’s repercussions. I saw the movie with that in mind, and loved it. By the way, my own writing now contains tons of violence, but I try to make it so that it’s never gratuitous.
Little Bill: "The Duck of Death."
WW Beauchamps: "Ah, Duke. Duke of Death."
Little Bill: "Duck, I says."
Never corrected him again
Classic.
You talking about the Queen again?... ON INDEPENDENCE DAY!
4 of the finest actors in history in one movie.
Clint, Morgan and The sheriff, who is the 4th?
@@owenbunny4023 Richard Harris "English Bob"
@@owenbunny4023 Richard Harris also played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films.
I just found out about you 3 days ago and have been binging so hard. You're amazing and this level of narration and brilliance is akin to shit i think so it's like finding a random friend you never knew you had. Thank you.
Eastwood was amazing in this movie. But so was the writing and the other actors. Freeman, Hackman, Harris - their performances were perfect.
In one scene , you can see the “smoke” of a stream train , that in fact is our asphalt plant . We were paving close to their shooting location ... they had to add the train whistle in post production
"If he's faster, he'll be in a hurry and he'll miss."
"and if he doesn't miss?"
"...then he'll kill ya...that's why there's so few dangerous men around like Old Bob...and like me"
Unforgiven also got a pretty solid adaptation/re-telling in 2012 with a Japanese version (also called Unforgiven) starring the bloody great Ken Watanabe.
Really nice I'll definitely check this out.
I thiught it was really good. Watch Uzama Twilight, another great samuri movie about an extra in Samurai drama. Wonderful editing and subtle. You don't have to be hit over the head and shown what has happened. Superb film.
If only Kurosawa had lived longer - we could have returned the compliment for "Seven Samurai"/"Magnificent Seven" (both great movies of course, as Unforgiven is).
"I was lucky in the order, but I've always been lucky when it comes to killin' folks".
I just love that line for some reason, so simple yet it hold such gravitas.
"I don't know was first. I know who's going to be last".
Best ending to a film I have ever seen. His whole persona changes on the hilltop. You learn the full extent of his past, the Schofield Kid is afraid of him. I literally cannot put in to words how completely awesome that scene is. You know something bad is coming and it doesn't let you down. His final words to the town is frightening and in total contrast to the William Munny we've seen for the majority of the film. I wish I could forget it so I can enjoy it for the first time again. 10 out of 10 for sure and my all time favourite film
Riding our of town, down the street...Munny was descending into hell. It was genius.
amazing slow burn, maybe the best paced movie ever
Well he is Clint Eastwood.
''I am riding out of town and if any of you so much as give me a dirty look,i will kill every man, woman and child in this shithole,and then i will kill all your pets'' was that the line?
@@davidlyon1899 not quite. Let's call it a paraphrase.
"All right, I'm coming out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife, all his friends, and burn his damn house down." --Will Munny
The contrast between the writer and the actual gunslinger is such an awesome commentary on Clint's previous characters and cliches. When he kills everyone in the bar and explains with "I guess I got lucky with the order. I was always lucky when it comes to killing folks" or something like that. Its just perfection
“I’ll see you in hell Bill Munny.”
“Yep” *bang*
This delivery of Unforgiven has created a poignant question in my mind: What is the antithesis of a Mary Sue? Here, it seems that Clint Eastwood's character embodies that antithesis. This is the same type of character we see in movies like Logan, where the hero whom we remember as being nearly unstoppable is now a broken person just struggling to survive . Drinker, would you consider doing a youtube video montaging "anti" Mary Sue characters? Something to consider, thanks for your awesome channel so far.
Avatar:The Last Airbender has an anti-Mary Sue:a girl who is shown practicing and being perfectionistic,
Any friends she has act that way because they fear her,she had the potential to be the strongest bender in the world,but she loses everyone,and even her sanity.
Saw this a couple of times upon release - i considered it an instant classic that I immediately put up with my favourite westerns of all time (most predating this by 20+years)
- a few months later and Clint is rightly holding a gold statue in each hand.
I cant think of a major realease since that has achieved such commercial aclaim whilst also being a genuine masterpiece for the ages.
In most recent years, only The Return of the King comes to mind, so rare.
Unforgiven came out around the same time as Silence of the Lambs which was pretty much the same thing: instant classic, universal acclaim, pile of oscars, etc
I felt like when it came to Munny, that even though the sensationalism of his past was fake. The movie depicts that he was somehow worse. They talk of him killing women and children. Logan tells him that the story the kid told him about how he gunned down 2 men, he remembers that it was actually 3. So throughout the movie we're hearing about this badass but seeing something different till that final gunfight. And we see that he had to be drunk in order to do it. We get to see the horrible man that we heard about throughout the film. And then find ourselves rooting for a monster. He asks for skinny and then tells the people in back to clear out of the way. Making it clear what he's about to do. None of them can believe it. Like, there's no way he's going to shoot an unarmed man in front of the entire sheriff's posse. Then that line. "Well he should have armed himself. If he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend." It was chilling.
Don't forget his threat to anyone that took a shot at him when he was leaving town "I won't only kill him, I'll kill his whole family and burn his house down". Will Munny wasn't a nice guy, brilliant acting from Hackman and Eastwood to make us root for Munny over Dagget, even though one is a law man and the other a murderer
@@DominicMcCoy They're both killers. Dagget just wears a badge.
@@dangermouse9348 Yeah, that's how it actually was back then.
@wargent99 I missed it, you are right. That might be there to sink in the whole idea: Bill was never good or skilled at anything, the guy could not win the only "duel" of the film or even repair his roof. He was threatening enough to be respected and had a steady enough hand to execute people. They call it at the beginning, "never seen him afraid..." He was willing to do a dirty and risky work no one else wanted to do because he had the balls to do it, not because he was good at it.
@@cstlbrvo5615 Exactly--look at the Cowboys in Tombstone. They were actually - and the movie depicts this accurately - *deputized* by the sheriff to hunt down Wyatt Earp and his group during the Vengeance Ride
Probably missing the point a bit but I love how the movie spends the majority of its run-time trying to convince us that Munney is washed up, out of his league, and committed to burying his past. But when shit hits the fan and work needs doing, he reverts back to the savage killer he was, and has a whole town quaking in fear of him. Such a powerful moment, and whilst I know there are other themes the title of the work is "Unforgiven", and so that climactic sequence has stuck with me long after I first saw it. Character arcs are wonderful narrative devices, but this sequence says that people don't really change.
The cast doesn't get much stronger, and the genre is definitely appealing, but I'm most impressed by how well the roles and actors were paired here. Nice work, casting director 👏.
The true mundane reality that this movie shed light on is. for me, that Clint's character was never romantic, he was a cold blooded psychopath who was fueled by booze and rage. Dynamiting a train killing women and children isn't how the bandit character was ever played. Eastwood was pure genius here, completely deconstructing the heroic outlaw.
That whiskey was his red bull!
I agree. There is never any attempt to show that Eastwood was a any sort of heroic figure. Like you said, even though he had mellowed out and was trying to live a different life, the brutal violence that he was capable of was always there, just below the surface, just waiting for the right circumstances to bring it out. When those circumstances were there, he blew an unarmed man away and gunned down half a dozen others without blinking an eye. I always remember how he casually shot the last deputy while he was laying on the floor groaning like he was killing a bug.
I saw this notification and immediately rolled my eyes, "Who hasn't seen unforgiven? It's a classic Eastwood-western!"
Then I felt old...because young people.
Don't worry, the snowflakes, zoomers and soyboys are too busy licking the toilet as it seems... You're not missing out on much.
I haven't seen it, and I'm 38. Not exactly a young'n.
Truth be told just so many things to see, read, and do, some of them fall through the cracks.
Real underrated scene with Ned and the kid discussing/planning next steps when Will's sick. The kid asks what were they gonna do if Munny dies. Ned simply replies, "we'll bury him."
Clint's face and eyes, in that scene (under that tree, beneath that grey sky) when he's talking to that kid.... That's one of the best scenes in cinematic history! "We all got it coming, kid..." Awesome line! Perfect delivery!
A lot of Westerns were adapted from Samurai films, and in 2008 the reverse happened with Unforgiven when Clint's classic was adapted into a sword flick.
I wish Eastwood would give us one more movie like this before he's gone.
He gave us Grand Torino. Not as good as Unforgiven but still a damn good movie.
The mule ain't bad either!
@Mike Doonsebury the man is 89 years old, the reaper can't be dodged forever. I will cry a bit the day he dies, just like I did with Bill Paxton.
@@bdkj3e Game over, man! Game over!
I mean Gran Torino sort of did.
I love this film. They really don’t make films like this anymore.
The thing I liked about Unforgiven was that there were no “good guys”. It was just a good story, well written and gritty.
There's only one best Eastwood line...
"Nobody , and I mean Nobody puts ketchup on a hotdog" - Sudden Impact
I was always fond of the line. Dont piss down my back and tell me its rain.
I think pale rider. Been a long time since I've seen any of these films.
@@gizmogremlin1872 that's a great line as well. One of my favorites too.
"Did he fire six shots or only five'? Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, i kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a . 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?"
Wait what am I supposed to put on it than? All I've ever used is ketchup, relish, and chili.
‘You gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?’
What a great review of a timeless classic! That moment when Little Bill is posturing about the glorious manhunt he's about to launch for Munny, only to turn around and find Munny standing right there, staring him down, shotgun-in-hand, is the very definition of BADASS!
"I really can't praise this film enough." - We park our cars in the same garage, my friend!
Hackman positively bristled in every scene he was in. Even the first time I watched the movie, not knowing what was to come, the man radiated unrealised violence, just in his bearing.
My favorite western. Perfectly written, acted and directed. The characters are believable and the environment is beautifully filmed. A must watch
One of best lines ever - after Clint shoots the bar keeper Gene Hackman says “that was an unarmed man”! Clint replies “well he should’ve armed himself if he’s going to decorate his bar with my friend (the dead body of Morgan freeman), or something along those lines, I haven’t seen it in a while but I always remember that part.
Bad ass!!!!
Lil' Bill: "I'll see you in Hell William Muny!"
William Muny: "Yeah."
My favourite line
Best line.
"Eastwood in Unforgiven 'Yeah'" is my own meme with my friends. We usually just attach the jpg.
A truly great movie, with truly great performances.
Eastwood and Hackman are at the very height of their powers here.
What a rare treat.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. So damn good, so well acted, so well put together, and so damn honest about itself. I miss movies like this.
Morally gray is exactly how I describe this movie. I've watched it a hundred times and it's still hard tell if any character is morally right or wrong
Just like real people.
Actually it is clear that none of the characters are morally right and are all wrong to some degree.
Those who are convinced of their righteous are the most dangerous of all.
@@SMacCuUladh i couldn't agree more
Logan's wife the only clear good person.
The Shootist is one of my favorite movies.
“I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand upon. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
@J T 1 "Is your head cold?" Sheriff quickly removes his hat. Best line from The Shootist.
Imaginary just world garbage.
@Rob Irvine What part of The Shootist says it’s a just world? The main character is morally grey at best and the people wanting to take advantage of his legend are scummy. The main character gets shot in the back by the bartender in the end even though he stacked the deck against himself with people who wanted him dead for their own reasons in order to die before his cancer could get him. He’s just saying his rule of thumb when it comes to dealing with other people. Me thinks you don’t know what you’re talking about.
The Duke SHOULD have won an Oscar for that role.
@@robirvine6970 Spoken like someone who prefers a world where his words and actions need not be backed up with his own ass.
My favorite line in all of all cinema: "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." I've quoted it many, many times. Great film.
Me too. I've been hearing that a lot from cul-de-sac Karens "I deserve a great life" or "I deserve an ideal man"
Tell'um Will Munney. Tell 'um all!
That was a great line, but the best was "It's a hell of a thing killin' a man. You take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have." There's a lot going on there when you think about it
I was never big on Westerns, but I saw this movie when it came out, immediately loved it, and have watched it several times since. I loved it because it's not just an exceptionally good Western; it's an exceptionally good _movie_ -- one that invites repeated viewings.