Unforgiven (1992)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer (WGA):

David Webb Peoples (written by)

Release Date:

7 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.

Plot Keywords:

Cowboy | Prostitute | Sheriff | One Last Job | Gunslinger

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	William 'Bill' Munny
Gene Hackman	...	Little Bill Daggett
Morgan Freeman	...	Ned Logan
Richard Harris	...	English Bob
Jaimz Woolvett	...	The Schofield Kid
Saul Rubinek	...	W.W. Beauchamp
Frances Fisher	...	Strawberry Alice
Anna Levine	...	Delilah Fitzgerald (as Anna Thomson)
David Mucci	...	Quick Mike
Rob Campbell	...	Davey Bunting
Anthony James	...	Skinny Dubois
Tara Frederick	...	Little Sue (as Tara Dawn Frederick)
Beverley Elliott	...	Silky
Liisa Repo-Martell	...	Faith
Josie Smith	...	Crow Creek Kate
Shane Meier	...	Will Munny (Jr.)
Aline Levasseur	...	Penny Munny
Cherrilene Cardinal	...	Sally Two Trees
Robert Koons	...	Crocker
Ron White	...	Clyde Ledbetter
Mina E. Mina	...	Muddy Chandler
Henry Kope	...	German Joe Schultz
Jeremy Ratchford	...	Deputy Andy Russell
John Pyper-Ferguson	...	Charley Hecker
Jefferson Mappin	...	Fatty Rossiter
Walter Marsh	...	Barber
Garner Butler	...	Eggs Anderson
Larry Reese	...	Tom Luckinbill
Blair Haynes	...	Paddy McGee
Frank C. Turner	...	Fuzzy
Sam Karas	...	Thirsty Thurston
Lochlyn Munro	...	Texas Slim
Ben Cardinal	...	Johnny Foley
Phil Hayes	...	Lippy MacGregor (as Philip Hayes)
Michael Charrois	...	Wiggens
William Davidson	...	Buck Barthol (as Bill Davidson)
Paul McLean	...	Train person #1
James Herman	...	Train person #2
Michael Maurer	...	Train person #3
Larry Joshua	...	Bucky
George Orrison	...	The Shadow
Greg Goossen	...	Fighter (as Gregory Goossen)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buddy Beavers	...	Extra

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits (WGA)
David Webb Peoples		(written by)

Produced by
Clint Eastwood	....	producer
Julian Ludwig	....	associate producer
David Valdes	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Lennie Niehaus

Cinematography by
Jack N. Green		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox

Casting by
Phyllis Huffman

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Art Direction by
Adrian Gorton
Rick Roberts

Set Decoration by
Janice Blackie-Goodine

Makeup Department
Stan Edmonds	....	assistant makeup artist
Iloe Flewelling	....	head hair stylist
Michael Hancock	....	head makeup artist
Carol Pershing	....	hair stylist: Sonora unit

Production Management
Lynne Bespflug	....	unit manager
Bob Gray	....	production manager
David Valdes	....	production manager: Sonora unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Bannerman	....	second assistant director
Grant Lucibello	....	third assistant director
Scott Maitland	....	first assistant director
Tom Rooker	....	third assistant director
Jeffrey Wetzel	....	second assistant director: Sonora

Art Department
Edward Aiona	....	property master
Dean Goodine	....	assistant property master
George Griffiths	....	stand-by painter
Jan Kobylka	....	construction coordinator
Chuck McSorley	....	assistant property master: Sonora
James J. Murakami	....	set designer
Gary Clayton Ripley	....	head painter (as Gary Ripley)
Bruce Robinson	....	construction foreman
Michael Sexton	....	assistant property master
Ron Trost	....	construction coordinator: Sonora
Doug Wilson	....	head painter
Tim C Campbell	....	scenic painter (uncredited)
Bill Merrett	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Ken Wills	....	assistant set decorator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
Neil Burrow	....	sound editor
Gordon Davidson	....	sound editor
Michael Evje	....	sound mixer: Sonora
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Devon Heffley Curry	....	adr supervisor (as Devon Curry)
James J. Isaacs	....	dialogue editor (as James Issacs)
Cindy Marty	....	sound editor
Michael Mirkovich	....	assistant sound editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Walter Newman	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Nolan	....	assistant sound editor (as Kimberly Nolan)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Ruiz	....	assistant sound editor
Karen Spangenberg	....	supervising dialogue editor
Karen G. Wilson	....	dialogue editor
Marshall Winn	....	sound editor
Butch Wolf	....	sound editor
Rob Young	....	sound mixer
Kelly Zombor	....	boom operator
Mary Jo Lang	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Frazier	....	special effects coordinator
Maurice Routly	....	special effects foreman
Harold Selig	....	special effects best boy: Sonora unit (as Hal Selig)
Paul Healy	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Bill Merrett	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Alex Green	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunt double: Clint Eastwood (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Akester	....	still photographer
Mark Anderson	....	second assistant camera: Sonora
Marco Ciccone	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Douglas Craik	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Peter N. Green	....	camera loader: Sonora (as Peter Green)
Jim Gregor	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Dan Heather	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Hal Nelson	....	best boy grip: Sonora
Víctor Pérez	....	assistant chief lighting technician: Sonora
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as Anthony J. Rivetti)
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
T. Daniel Scaringi	....	dolly grip: Sonora (as T.D. Scaringi)
Tom Stern	....	chief lighting technician
Stephen St. John	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Randy Swanson	....	best boy grip
Carey Toner	....	dolly grip
Roger Vernon	....	camera operator: "b" camera

Casting Department
Stuart Aikins	....	casting: Canada
William Haines	....	casting assistant
Nadene Katz	....	casting assistant
Lorelei Kuchera	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanne Hansen	....	wardrobe supervisor: women
Carla Hetland	....	wardrobe supervisor: men
Valerie T. O'Brien	....	set costumer: Sonora
Glenn Wright	....	wardrobe department head

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant film editor
Phil Downey	....	color timer

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer (as Bobby Fernandez)
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Laurindo Almeida	....	musician: guitar solo (uncredited)
Tommy Johnson	....	musician: tuba soloist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Ray Breckenridge	....	transportation captain
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Randy Luna	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Diane Anderson	....	first aid: Sonora
Sheila Aquiline	....	assistant production accountant
Marco Barla	....	unit publicist
Tom Bews	....	wrangler boss
Tom Eirikson	....	wrangler boss
Lynn Elston	....	production accountant
Penny Gibbs	....	production coordinator
Tom Glass	....	wrangler boss
Robert J. Groff	....	craft service: Sonora
Rose Johnson	....	craft service
Rose Johnson	....	first aid
Jeff Kloss	....	production accountant (as Jeffrey Kloss)
Anisa Lalani	....	assistant production coordinator
John Lind	....	production associate
Michael Maurer	....	production auditor
J.P. Moss	....	knives designer
Lloyd Nelson	....	script supervisor
Rino Pace	....	location manager
Matt Palmer	....	production associate
Melissa Rooker	....	assistant: Clint Eastwood
John Scott	....	head wrangler
Carol Trost	....	production coordinator: Sonora
Loranne Turgeon	....	production secretary
Buddy Van Horn	....	technical consultant
Cathy Yost	....	assistant production coordinator
Neale Joudrie	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer (uncredited)

Thanks
Sergio Leone	....	dedicatee (as Sergio)
Don Siegel	....	dedicatee (as Don)

Production Companies

• Malpaso Productions
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1992) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1992) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1992) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1992) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1995) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Hollydan Works (1998-????) (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) (DVD)
• Hollydan Works (2000-????) (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Varus Video (????) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (Argentina)
• Warner Bros. (Spain)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Sweden) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Filmworks Catering  catering
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Reprise Records  soundtrack published by
• TAJ Soundworks  foley recorded at
• Tony's Food Service  catering

Also Known As:

The Cut Whore Killings (USA) (original script title)
The William Munny Killings (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and violence, and for a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Spain:18 | USA:R (certificate #31757) | South Korea:15 | Ireland:18 | Brazil:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Malpaso Productions

Trivia:

The rifle Andy carries to arrest English Bob is a Winchester '66 "Yellowboy" with the fore-stock removed to resemble a first-model Henry.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When William Munny wakes up from his fever after being assaulted by sheriff Little Bill he sits outside the shack and talks to Delilah Fitzgerald. You can see the blue sky behind the house through springs in the wood revealing that it's not the same house/shack as in the first shot and the fact that it's a scene-set.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Quick Mike: Dammit! Come a-running, lad!
Delilah Fitzgerald: Stop it!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-09-09)" (2008)

'A Man With No Name' Becomes 'A Man With A Real Story'.

Clint Eastwood's storytelling gives the western genre one of its most sublime story's. Gone is the trademark mysterious hero and in its place is an ex gunman who made his peace when he met his wife. Eastwood has transcended traditional entertainment to storytelling craftsmanship. He delivers rich characters with deep rooted problems inextricably linked to the villains of the story. Refusing to wither and die away, style has been perfectly adapted with age thus ensuring his maturation into a true Hollywood legend.

Besides his now distinctive storytelling, there are numerous factors that make this a landmark Western. The ensemble cast could not have been stronger and there were no weak performances. The soundtrack accentuates the intended atmosphere of the director. A single detracting factor I could find only just qualifies as such. Munny's whimsical lines seemed a little contrived at times. They droned on like pale attempts to capture the Western era. But this is a consequence of the fact that they were more to do with the character of William Munny. He is after all a reformed killer with a now passive approach to people. Given this fact and also that it may have been distracting since it was so out of sync with what we are used to seeing from Eastwood, I still have to list it as a demerit on the account it slightly jerked me out of the story.

Hollywood producers have to satisfy audience preferences if investments are going to accrue profits. It is the nature of the beast. The action and more specifically the Western genre will stick to tried and tested formulas in order to guarantee audience acceptance. But every so often you get people who as a natural consequence of their unique character appeal are able to deliver a story that is outside these understandably restrictive boundaries. Eastwood is a cool individualist who normally plays characters who are not team players and do it their own way. His own way this time is to give the western genre a real story oozing characterization. A sort of ballad for the bad guy.

The ballads tune provides the story with a sad, introspective mood, within the opening and closing scenes. The opening scene depicts Munny in his new found life. He is cured of his wicked ways, helped by his dear, departed wife. But men are not willing to forgive or forget his monstrous deeds and in the final scenes he is who he has to be. Such is the sorrowful life of William Munny.

Westerns are typified by clearly defined goodies and baddies, but this is definitely not the case here. Eastwood and Freeman play reformed killers who find circumstances drawing them once again to their evil ways. But the older and wiser men now realize the value of life and come face to face with their troubled consciences. This is unlike their naïve, young partner who is attracted to the bravado image of the killer and relishes taking a man's life. This moral issue is virtually taboo for the classic western which glamorizes the lawlessness and the hero attraction of the gunslinger. This is also why in my view no-one besides Eastwood should have handled this movie.

Then we have the juiciest character of the movie superbly played by Gene Hackman worthy of the weight of every micro granule of his Oscar. He is the epitome of every hard-line lawman that ever was. The misguidance of the so called righteously empowered, swinging the hammer against evil for good. Hackman must have salivated when he read the script since there was obvious relish in his performance. All the better for the movie, and of course for Eastwood at the Oscars. By far the best performance and the others were good further underlining the talent of the man.

The antagonist of the movie is almost always the most complex and thus most interesting to analyze. His vain attempts at carpentry are his way of trying to appear to be a good man. There is purity in building ones own home and it is this wholesomeness that he wishes to capture. In that way his fellow citizens will see him as a simple man only wanting to lead a righteous life. But his inability as a carpenter is indicative of his depravity. He cannot be a good man. The source of his drive is anger and hatred. It is through this failing that we realize he cannot escape who he is.

Indeed it was not only the power of the script that gave the audience a spellbinding climax, but the talents of the actors. The actors' characterizations deliver the audience a spellbinding climax. It is only through Hackman's performance that we not only acknowledge his ending as inevitable, but also as deserving. We saw him as a man who virtually thought that he was righteously empowered to rid the earth of Munny and his kind What he thought was an honorable task was one rather of abuse and suppression. He became the baddie in the eyes of the audience and it is he who the audience wants to see justice served upon.

Munny was so weak throughout the movie that the eruption of his evil ways captured the interest of the audience. He transformed into the Eastwood of old – the anti hero with a far more malevolent presence. Never could we have sensed this hatred and evil that we now see in William Munny. It is now that the frivolity of his mannerisms that I touched on in the beginning adds to the story as it helps to accentuate the turn in character. He is now only a killer, in it neither for money or fame as the writer nearly finds out to his tragic detriment.

Those who have only seen his Westerns of old or the 'Dirty Harry' movies may enter the cinema with expectations of such like will either be disappointed or pleasantly surprised. It is the atypical western and an unfamiliar portrayal by Eastwood. But I believe that most people will have the latter reaction. The differences are their strengths helped by the fact that it was a superbly crafted movie with a meaningful story and thought provoking lessons for our heroes and villains. Eastwood was directly suited to the roles that we identify him with, but it is exactly because of this suitability that he eases into the role of Munny. No mellowing with age, no identification with the mainstream, he has always done it his way, and he is so good that any way could be his way.