After watching "The Bad and the Bad", I can understand "Unforgivable". This sentence is not bad at all. The latter seems to be a sequel to the former, or even a summary of the Western. The plot of the story is also intended to put an end to the "West". The beginning of the story states that it takes place in 1880, nearly a generation after the Mexican and Civil Wars, and the golden hour of the Western Ranger is long gone. No gorgeous drawn guns and gun battles, no Mexicans and cacti, no train robbers and treasures, no Civil War veterans and rangers, except for the remnants of horses and cowboy hats, I am afraid it will also belong to the category of drama.
Unlike traditional westerns, the origin of the story is anything but glamorous. A drunken cowboy hurt a prostitute, and the sheriff who came to deal with it decided to pay for it. The prostitutes vowed to punish the cowboy and put together a reward of 1,000 yuan. A high-spirited young man, Schofield Kid, finds the legendary killer William (Bill Munny), who has long been a naturalized farmer, and wants to join him. After much thought, William finally and his friend NedLogan, who was also naturalized as Shunmin, came out again and killed two cowboys in a rather disgraceful way. Schofield Kid, who talked about killing people, was so scared that he didn't dare to take a gun anymore. Ned, who had experienced many battles, also left in shock. Only William, who had a cold attitude towards the whole thing, kept his self-control, which made him claim to be a professional. The killer's Schofield Kid was terrified. Ned cannot be arrested on the way home, and is eventually killed by a domineering sheriff. William borrowed a pistol and went into Wiskey Town alone on a rainy night. Several people, including Sheriff Bill, were killed. William threw harsh words, "Okay, I'm out now, I'll kill anyone who sees it. Shoot me, I'll kill not only him, but his wife, all his friends, and burn his house down! Better not shoot! You better bury Ned. Don't hurt any whores! Or I'll Will come back to kill you bastards!" William rode his horse and disappeared into the rainy night, followed by nervous employers and citizens.
one. figure
1. William (Bill Munny)
William is a man with a terrifying past, and from his mouth it is known that he was once a fearful criminal who committed all kinds of evil. His glorious past is reminiscent of Monco, the ranger in The Bad and the Bad. However, at the beginning of the story, William collapsed in the pigpen, completely looking like a poor peasant. Marksmanship has been greatly inferior, and even a horse can not be mounted. William was very old, and under his sparse hair was a tired and unsightly body. Without a cowboy hat, he looks like a weakling most of the time. The only thing that proves this indifferent peasant's past is the surprisingly calmness that he alone can maintain from the beginning to the end of the story. Little Bill said: "The most important thing (a legendary hero) is not marksmanship, but calmness", which may be the best footnote to William. Both SchofieldKid and Ned were horrified when the two cowboys were assassinated, and he was the only one who "did his job" and did the killer's job. William was beaten violently by the sheriff and his party in the tavern. Not only did he not fight back, but instead he crawled out of the tavern without a sound. Behind all this is calm, this vote is almost meaningless to him, he just wants this nightmare to pass as soon as possible.
He's married, misses his dead wife, and even finds he "can't sleep on a rock anymore". He often thinks of the people he has killed, his hideous faces, and falls into endless fear. He is not seen as a terrible killer for most of the story, but maintains a weak image throughout, which also adds drama to the later bloodbath of Whiskey Town. The massacre needed a reason. Killing the cowboy was because the cowboy insulted the prostitute. This reason was extremely pale. William just wanted to get a bounty, and he didn't want to bring any honorable pretense to his behavior. What really stimulated the resurrection of the killer was the murder of Ned. Like the general plot, William washed the town of Wiskey with blood, leaving behind "revenge" and "justice". However, this kind of justice made it difficult for everyone to feel gratified. It was muddy and muddy.
Seeing William always thinks of Mungo from time to time, the ranger full of chivalry in "The Good and the Bad". Seeing William's embarrassment, he felt a sense of heroic twilight. Legends always have to disappear. At the end of "The Good and the Bad", Meng Ge disappeared into the wilderness with the bounty, and a legend was born. At the end of "Unforgiven", William and the children finally left. It is rumored that they went to San Francisco to do fur business. After all, the old ranger still got a good home.
2. Little Bill Daggett
Strong sheriffs are rare in Westerns, and little Bill is one. He adheres to the rule that no one can enter the town of Whiskey with a gun, and enforces a "violent law enforcement" guideline for this. He has a lot of prestige in the town, and everyone is afraid of his name. Through the mouth of EnglishBob, you can know that little Bill has been in prison and has been in all corners of the world. However, little Bill is not a sharpshooter, he also relies on calmness. Bill Jr also summed up another characteristic of being a Western hero: guts. Never beg for mercy, which is exactly what most so-called heroes do not have. "One person's death is enough to fear ten thousand men." In the final battle, Little Bill and the police still lost their courage.
Little Bill likes violent law enforcement, which may be related to his previous experience. He ultimately paid the price for this violence and ego. Little Bill's murder of Ned brought up the hatred between William and the audience. In the eyes of the audience, William took "just" revenge on him. No, Little Bill is the representative of justice, and the director must use this to criticize the confusion between morality and values. The tall image of Clint Eastwood has directly shaken people's cognition. The dialogue between Bill and William at the end of the article is very meaningful:
Little Bill: I shouldn't… shouldn't have died... I'm building a house.
Munnie: It doesn't matter if it should or not. (aim)
Little Bill: I'll see you in hell, William Munney.
Munnie: Exactly. (fire)
At the juncture of life and death, Little Bill did not show his previous heroic deeds, nor did he beg for mercy. All he thought was that he had not repaired his house and had not lived a peaceful life. Meeting in hell means that no matter what they do now, their past and sins cannot be erased.
3. NedLogan
Unlike William who was absent-minded, Ned took the initiative to join the ranks of killers without thinking deeply, showing his expertise as a professional killer from the very beginning. He cares about ammunition, supplies, and worries about the near-sighted Schofield Kid, believing his incompetence will ruin the business. Like William, Ned misses his bed, his wife, and even his roof while traveling. Obviously, this is also an old villain who is used to a peaceful life. After the ambush was ready, Ned couldn't "shoot the bird in the eye" (Ned's language), and he finally decided to quit after being shocked. However, Ned was captured and tried to change his ways, but died. Still, Morgan Freeman (playing Ned) doesn't look like an old villain, you'd rather believe he's a farmer, a taxi driver, or even a priest. But Uncle Mo is still very capable of pulling hatred.
4. EnglishBob
The British Bob was very proud as soon as he appeared, and praised the Queen of England loudly on the train, thinking that instead of choosing a president, Americans should choose a king or a queen. Several passengers on the train were indignant at Bob's finger-pointing, but because of his reputation, they had to swallow it up. Bob also carries a biographer, like a king with a bard. All the way, Bob came to Whiskey Town, still doing his own way, and was beaten by Little Bill. The myth of Bob was also torn apart by Little Bill one by one. It turns out that there is no hero to save the beauty, and there is no one against five, just the history of the fortune of a drunk old villain.
Little Bill's irony is more like a mockery of the classic passages of past Westerns. In the western film, both sides stand in the rolling yellow sand and draw their guns and shoot with lightning speed. One of them seems to have been hit by precision-guided munitions. . The upright duel and romantic love make the western a bit of a knightly novel. However, all this turned out to be a lie.
2. Elements
1. Heavy rain
There has never been a Western movie as rainy as this one. It rarely rains in Westerns, the wind and sand can be scorched, the sun can be scorching, but the pouring rain is something that Westerns do not want to appear. The torrential rain brings mud and chills, making the classic confrontations and duels in Westerns impossible, which is extremely detrimental to the image of a Western hero. The film "Unforgiven" has been raining all the time, the endless heavy rain messed up people's minds, and the mud and chill that followed made the protagonist look more like a weakling, making everyone shiver, and more It casts a depressing atmosphere on the story. Compared with other Westerns, this kind of movie also has a lot more segments at night, and it is often accompanied by heavy rain. On a night with torrential rain, people always want to hide in their comfort zone, and no one wants to run out to accept the baptism of the heavy rain. At this moment, it is easy for people to become paralyzed and delusional. This heralds the peaceful life that people hope for, and the destruction comes more penetrating. The climax of the story takes place on a rainy night, when it should be calm, but it is thrown into chaos. It is worth noting that at the end of the story, when William threw harsh words, the background of the stars and stripes was faintly revealed in the distance. The director must have done it on purpose. William extended his "justice", but the gangster retreated and the policeman was killed. This kind of "justice" is really a mockery.
2. Gun
A western hero should have a tall horse, a cowboy hat that stays with him, and a unique gun. Without horses, it's impossible to gallop in the West; without hats, it's like a feathered chicken; without guns, Oh, my god, the director wouldn't agree. The gun is often different and can even be personified. For example, the leader of the gang, Raymond, trusts his rifle the most, the old scoundrel carries a pistol with a support, and the most trusted one is the point 45. In "Unforgiven", the relationship between the gun and the protagonist was not seen at all, and William finally took revenge and even used a borrowed gun. The shooting scenes in the film are even more pitiful. Compared with the torrential rain that runs through it, it is very rare. Gunfights aren't fair duels, and cowboys don't break out with provocation. Killing opponents by ambushes and raids is not "heroic" at all.
The torrential rain disturbed the protagonist's sad thoughts, and the revenge of the rainy night also made the audience feel a little cool. William, who rode his horse and disappeared in the rainy night, left the audience in a mess. Different from the previous westerns, after watching such a film, it is really necessary to entangle what happened.
View more about Unforgiven reviews
