The film is not simply a story of revenge or the old age of a hero. Its text is much heavier. In fact, the film is an elegy for a bygone era.
In 1880, the westward movement was drawing to a close, and in the west, as the rule of law and order moved forward irreversibly, the days of chaos and killing were gone.
So at the beginning of the film, we see Will, the former cold-blooded killer, and his two children begging for a living in the swamp of the pigsty, while his partner Ned also lives a peaceful rural life with his wife. Will stumbled when he got on the horse, and Ned, the old sharpshooter who pierced through Yang at a hundred paces, was too ruthless to start killing again. On the contrary, it is the young Cuman boy, so full of vigor and pride, he yearns for and pursues the pleasures and grievances of the past, although his knowledge of the old west only comes from people's word of mouth and legendary novels processed by literature.
At the end of the film, the boy Kuman, who was in a hurry when he set off and seems to be ruthless, cried and repented of his behavior and vowed not to kill again. After all, Dongmu attributed this young character to the new era. He finally put down his gun and his fascination and imitation of the legend of the old Japanese west, and integrated into the order of the new era. At the beginning of the film, the old gunman Ned, who had already lived a normal life and chose to retreat in the middle of the action, adhered to the old guidelines, guarded his companions with his life, and was whipped to death (the film uses a set of parallel edits here, Emphasizes that Will and Cuman were chasing the target while Ned was tortured, indicating that it was his silence that protected the whereabouts of his companions). The old widow Will, after learning of Ned's death, took the whisky from the hand of the Kufe boy and took three sips in a row (here are three sets of head-to-head fights, and every time Will is given a shot, he raises the wine. bottle to drink), the murderer William Money who lived in the old legends returned, and he carried out the final killing and revenge.
This was handled very well. The people of the old era fought against the new wave and order in the way of the old era. This kind of stubbornness and stubborn resistance is sad but also respectable.
In fact, this is also Dongmu's consistent style. He has never served old age, and his character will not bow his head. Even if he knew that the old days were gone and that the legends of the old days were about to be buried, the character he played would always strike hard, then close the coffin for himself, and bury the whole old era of the past.
One more line from this film: Clint Eastwood always plays the most traditional, old-fashioned American gentleman. He showed people the good side of conservatism: loyal to family, loyal to friends, loyal to traditional morals. The times are turbulent and changing, but conservatism at the cultural and social levels will always have a place, because those basic moral norms and codes of conduct with deep and broad social consensus are the link that maintains the existence of the country, society and other communities.
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