Unforgiven (1992)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer (WGA):

David Webb Peoples (written by)

Release Date:

7 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | 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 | Sheriff | One Last Job | Gunslinger | Prostitute

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:

None of the participants, least of all Clint Eastwood and writer David Webb Peoples, actively set out to make an anti-violence film. It was a natural byproduct of the script.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the background of the scene where William Munny is leaving the saloon near the end, there is an American flag with 50 stars.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

Masterpiece

Ford, Hawks, Leone, Peckinpah, all of them big names who have defined the Western genre in one way or another across the history of cinema, transforming what started as low-budget action films into an art itself where the American Old West served as setting for tales of mythical heroism, classic tragedies, and legendary adventures. Actor and Director Clint Eastwood is probably one of the most knowledgeable artists about the Western genre, as his acting career began as the legendary "Man With No Name" in the Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s. As a director, he somewhat continued this legacy through movies like "High Plains Drifter" and "Pale Rider", but finally in 1992, Eastwood released what many consider his final ode to the Western, and his ultimate masterpiece of the genre: "Unforgiven", an epic saga about the deconstruction of the Western myths.

Clint Eastwood himself plays William Munny, a former gunslinger who is now living a peaceful life as a farmer with his two children. However, life is very difficult for Munny's family, as since the death of his wife the family has been facing financial problems. One day a young man calling himself "The Schofield Kid" (Jaimz Woolvett) appears looking for Munny. The Kid tells Munny about a bounty offered in the town of Big Whisky, and offers him the chance to join him as hired gun and split the reward between them. While Munny's days as a murderer are in the past, he decides to join him after thinking about the farm's problems, but not without calling his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to join them. However, Munny's past as a notorious thief and murderer will return to haunt him in this last mission, as the Kid shows a true and honest admiration for Munny's fame as a gunslinger, even when Munny himself considers his past as villainous.

While better known for his work in science fiction, David Webb Peoples' screenplay proves to be a very accurate description of life in the American west, particularly concerning the aspects of the uses and abuses of violence in that era. It is in fact the use of violence what comes as the main theme of the story, as Munny is escaping from his past's violence while the Kid is eagerly awaiting the next chance to prove his masculinity by the use of violence. The duality between man and myth is explored not only via the relationship between the Kid and Munny, but also in the shape of a character who writes novels about the wild west, and sees the figure of the gunslinger as an idolized modern hero. Peoples' screenplay is remarkably well written, as the many characters and their relationships are exhaustively explored, resulting in a character driven revisionism of the western, that in many ways criticizes the genre's origins as violent "Shoot 'em up" films.

Peoples' script is definitely the movie's backbone, but it is Eastwood's masterful direction what transforms this meditation of violence into a unique revision of the Western. With a gritty and realistic approach very in tone with the script, Eastwood portraits the Wild West without romanticism and leaving out the mythic aspects of the genre, taking the revisionism of the Western one step beyond. Using Peoples' script, Eastwood takes a critic view on the figure of the "hero" in Westerns, focusing on the image of the gunslinger and the use of violence to solve problems. Visually, Eastwood has crafted his most impressive movie since "Bird", with an extensive use of shadows and light in the excellent work of cinematography by Jack N. Green. Eastwood's style, originated by the influence of Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, and developed through many stages seems to finally have spawned its masterpiece in this film.

As William Munny, Clint Eastwood is simply perfect in what at first sight looks like an extension of his earlier "Man with no name" persona. William Munny has a name, and a past he wants to escape from, and Estwood captures the image of guilt and regret to the letter. This is easily one of his best roles to date. Morgan Freeman is also very good as Ned Logan, although like Jaimz Woolvett (who plays The Schofield Kid), gets easily overshadowed by Gene Hackman's powerful performance as Little Bill Daggett. Hackman completely owns every scene he is in, showcasing his enormous talent in a very dramatic role. The legendary Richard Harris has a small appearance as another aging gunslinger, English Bob, in very memorable scenes where he demonstrates why he is considered one of the best actors of his generation.

After starting his career playing a mythical hero in Leone's "Dollars" trilogy, it is actually fitting that is Eastwood who explores the figure of hero in his many movies. Ever since his first directed western, Eastwood showed an interest in the duality of the hero, taking a special interest in the archetype of hero portrayed in the classic 1953 Western, "Shane". Eastwood has explored this theme in many ways in the past: first as a true antihero ("High Plains Drifter"), then as a man becoming legend ("The Outlaw Josey Wales") and later as a true mythic hero ("Pale Rider"); all this culminates in "Unforgiven" as the ultimate demythologization of the concept, and his final ode to the Western genre. While the movie indeed feels a bit "preachy" at times, the story is devised in such a way that it never feels too heavy handed, as it unfolds nicely as a classic epic tale of the West.

Personally, I can't praise this movie enough, as it is easily one of the best Westerns done since Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch", and required viewing not only for fans of the genre. While some consider it an "anti-Western", I think that with this movie, Eastwood's name can proudly stand along those of Ford, Hawks, Leone and Peckinpah as a master of the Western. "Unforgiven" is definitely Clint's masterpiece. 10/10