Unforgiven is a 1992 western about a retired Old West gunslinger who reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.
There are few actors who get that ‘oh, he’s good in anything’ nod, universally praised for just showing up, something certainly earned for a long body of good work, but rarely handed out, even for some of the greatest in the industry. Not so with Gene Hackman, a guy who is probably the one who got that phrase started, his contribution to movies not just impressive, downright legendary. Even though he officially retired from movies back in 2004,Hackman movies are still some of the most entertaining out there, his gift for the craft something I imagine many starting up would like to emulate. While he made a huge name for himself in the 70s, starring in such influential titles as The French Connection, The Conversation, and Superman: The Movie, for me it is his haunting role in Clint Eastwood‘s iconic 1992 Western Unforgiven that stands as one to be most remembered. It earned him his second Academy Award and features really what amounts to his most affecting work.
The story centers on an aging former gunslinger named William Munny (Eastwood), a widower and pig farmer in 1880 Kansas, struggling to raise two young kids. Barely able to do so, he one day is propositioned by a young braggadocious bandit calling himself the “Schofield Kid” (Jaimz Woolvett), who tells of a handsome reward in Wyoming for the tracking down and killing of two cowboys who savagely beat up a prostitute. Thinking it easy money, Munny agrees and calls upon his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to join the pair. Back in the saddle they are.
In Big Whiskey, home to the incident, the local sheriff is Little Bill Daggett (Hackman), a tough but fair purveyor of the law who has outlawed guns in his town and currently angered by the illegal bounty posted on the cowboys. The reward has lured in others looking to get paid, including British-born gunfighter “English Bob” (Richard Harris), a stylish old rival of Daggett. Daggett deals with him and his questionable reputation with a decided slice of menace, making him an example for others. It’s nasty. And it’s a hint of what’s to come.
So if you haven’t seen this movie, I’ll avoid giving much more away of the story, the journey a riveting treatise on aging and redemption, Eastwood delivering not only a twist on the Western character he invented but behind the camera as well. This is a breathlessly good looking movie with a poignant, violent story. Truthfully, it’s a cinematic treasure.
Hackman is the real draw though, his weighty turn as Daggett the kingpin of the entire film, beginning with his entrance at the start, the formidable lawman forced into making a choice that serves one but not another, being the catalyst for what triggers the illegal bounty. I like how he’s established early on as a man who threatens violence to keep violence out of his town, a sort of gun-toting pacifist with foggy goals for maintaining peace. All he really wants is to build his house, let go his past, and sit in rule of his little corner of the West. Enter William Munny.
This is where the film really stakes its claim, keeping the line between good and evil decidedly murky. Who is the hero here? Is there one? Who has justice in the end? These are hefty themes at play and Eastwood expertly rolls them out into the midday sun to cook, giving us plenty to chew on as shades of gray slip into deep shadows of ebony black. Daggett is positioned carefully as the antagonist, yet we are constantly at odds over the actions of everyone.
Now, let’s just take a moment to appreciate what Hackman does with the sheriff. Here’s a time-honored character that has been a staple of the genre for decades and Hackman understands what that means. Westerns are full of corrupt lawmen with power spoiling whatever once was pure – even Eastwood’s Pale Rider featured one such man behind the badge – so it’s no stretch to see where Daggett might go. However, Hackman takes full advantage of his pacifying presence to trick the audience into finding much in earning our sympathies. I love how he carries himself, the way Eastwood trains his camera on him, and the words he let’s ooze from his lips. Listen how he defends his position in the opening salvo, never letting Daggett lose his cool. He’s slippery yet convincing.
There is a moment in the third act that I won’t spoil but will tease, featuring Hackman and Freeman that is truly terrifying for what is shown and more so, said. Hackman turns Daggett into a truly chilling figure, one that finally separates the degrees of bad men wide enough that we feel comfortable with the fates of all those at play. This is a turning point in the movie and Hackman elevates it to staggering heights, right here alone earning all the praise he got for the role. It’s one of the most troubling moments I’ve ever seen at the movies. But oh so good for how well it’s delivered.
Unforgiven is a true masterpiece, winning Best Picture and Director awards as well. Even if you’re no fan of the genre, it’s still one you really ought to tack on your list (it’s currently streaming on Netflix), a must simply for how it reshapes expectations about cowboys and Old West shoot ’em ups. But mostly, it’s Gene Hackman that makes this worth a sit through, in arguably the best role he’s ever had.