Unforgiven

Unforgiven -- both a very interesting movie and what I should probably be for neglecting my blog for so long.

This movie reminded me in several ways of Runaway Train. However, I found that I just didn't like this film quite as much as Runaway Train. It may just be that I loved Runaway Train so much that I was thinking "Eh, not good enough." Don't get me wrong, I did still quite like Unforgiven.

Opinions aside, Unforgiven is a very intriguing movie, with many themes running through it. It was a Western, but it also took each stereotype of a Western movie and turned it on its head. The first thing I noticed is that, unlike most Westerns, killings aren't just forgotten in favor of focusing on the heroic gun-slinging, horseback-riding action. When people are killed in this movie, it's actually dwelt on somewhat. The two cowboys aren't just killed and BAM, that's it. The Schofield Kid is traumatized by the fact that he killed a man, realizing that it's not as glorious as it seems. This ties in to the theme of exaggeration that is prevalent throughout the movie. Delilah had her face cut up by the cowboy, but she honestly didn't look that bad at all. And yet the event is blown up to huge proportions -- the Schofield Kid tells Munny that the cowboy cut her fingers and breasts and all sorts of things that didn't actually happen.
Finally, the realistic approach to the Western genre. No fancy, impractical swinging saloon doors. Considering that it's raining in many of the scenes involving the saloon, that would be awfully messy. Also, in the final scene, Munny fires six shots from a six-shooter. I have seen some other Westerns that have the hero shooting left-and right -- always with excellent accuracy -- and never running out of bullets.

A final note -- when Munny takes a drink from the whiskey bottle, I honestly didn't even notice that he had done it until after he put the cap on. I think that's the best way it possibly could have been done, as it reflects how little it took for Munny to revert to his old ways, even briefly.