Unforgiven

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood 
• Produced by: Clint Eastwood 
• Written by: David Peoples 
• Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris 
• Music by: Lennie Niehaus 
• Distributed by: Warner Bros. 
• Release date(s): September 7, 1992 
• Running time: 131 min 
• Language: English

Unforgiven 1992 is a Western film directed by Clint Eastwood and the screenplay was by David Webb Peoples. The film told the story of a retired gunslinger who takes on one more job. A Western that deals frankly with the uglier aspects of violence and the myth of the Old West; it stars Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Jaimz Woolvett, Saul Rubinek and Frances Fisher.

Eastwood dedicated the movie to former directors and mentors Don Siegel and Sergio Leone. The film won four Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gene Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture. Unforgiven was inducted into the United States National Film Registry in 2004.

Other than the fact that both films are set in the West, this film has no relationship to the 1960 film The Unforgiven.

Plot

In 1881 Wyoming, in the town of Big Whiskey, a cowboy with the aid of a fellow cowboy slashes a prostitute's face for laughing at his small penis. The venomous local sheriff and former gunfighter, Little Bill Daggett, fines the cowboy and his friend seven ponies, payable to the prostitute's pimp and saloon owner Skinny. The other prostitutes, furious over the cowboys' lax punishments, conspire with each other to offer a $1000 reward to anyone who kills the two. 

Miles away in Western Kansas, the Schofield Kid (Woolvett) approaches a farm owned by William Munny (Clint Eastwood) and his two children, looking for a partner for the bounty. Munny, known in his youth as an infamous gunfighter, murderer and bandit, has since retired, amidst his reformation led by his now deceased wife. Although initially declining the offer of an even split of the reward money, Munny reconsiders amidst his financial troubles and recruits a former associate and neighbor, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman), as his partner before catching up with the Schofield Kid.

Back in Wyoming, English Bob (Harris) and his biographer W.W. Beauchamp disembark from the train and ride into Big Whiskey. English Bob ignores the sign that prohibits the possession of firearms and blatantly lies to a deputy about the revolver he carries in plain sight. 

Following a quick shave, he emerges onto the barber's porch and finds himself staring down the guns of five deputies and Little Bill, who remembers Bob from the gunfighting days. After disarming the gunfighter, Little Bill ruthlessly beats him in front of the townspeople, shouting ominous warnings about pursuing the prostitute's bounty. 

Little Bill then ridicules and insults the jailed English Bob for the benefit of his biographer. Finally, Little Bill deports English Bob with a warning that he will kill him should he return. The humiliated English Bob shouts and curses at the entire town and the American system as he is taken to the train station in a carriage.

After reaching town on a cold, rainy night, Munny, Logan and the Kid enter a saloon for a drink and inquire about the reward. Munny remains at a table while Logan and the Kid go upstairs to be serviced by the prostitutes. While waiting for his friends to return, Little Bill discovers Munny is wearing a gun. A town ordinance prohibits guns — upon entering town that stormy night, Munny failed (or chose not) to see the warning sign posted alongside the road. 

Weak and feverish, Munny is in no condition to fight back as Little Bill brutally beats him in full view of the patrons. Munny manages to drag himself out of the saloon as Ned Logan and the Kid jump out a second-story window. Logan and the Kid then get Munny to high country above the town.

Munny retreats and is nursed by his friends and the prostitutes, and after recovering sufficiently from his injuries, the three men ambush and kill one of the two cowboys in a canyon. It is at that point that Logan realizes he can no longer stomach murder, and decides to head home. Munny and the Kid find and slay the other cowboy in an outhouse outside the isolated cabin where he had been holed up for safety.

Logan is captured and brought back to Little Bill, who beats all the information he can out of him, inadvertently killing Logan in the process. Logan's corpse is put on display in an open coffin outside the saloon as an example of frontier justice. Outside town, the Kid is shaken by the murder he has just committed and admits that it was his first kill; he renounces his planned gunfighting career. 

In fear of Munny's reputation, the Kid refuses his share of the loot. One of the prostitutes brings the reward money to Munny and tells him of the death of Logan. This angers Munny who, breaking his vow of sobriety, drinks half a bottle of whisky and rides into town to confront the sheriff.

That night, Munny quietly walks into the crowded Greeley's Saloon. Inside the saloon, Little Bill has assembled a posse to pursue Munny and the Kid. Munny demands to see the saloon's owner while holding them all at bay with a shotgun. When Skinny, the owner, identifies himself, Munny shoots him with one of the two barrels. Little Bill curses Munny, as he states that Skinny was unarmed. 

Munny replies, "Well, he should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend". A gun fight ensues where Munny kills three posse members outright and seriously wounds Little Bill and another deputy. While Munny is reloading Ned Logan's rifle, he hears Little Bill cocking his pistol. Munny steps on Little Bill's hand and points the rifle directly into his face. Little Bill realizes what is to follow and states, "I don't deserve this...to die like this." 

Munny replies, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it." Little Bill then says, "I'll see you in Hell, William Munny," to which Munny whispers, "Yeah", and shoots Little Bill dead. Munny heads to the door, shooting the last injured deputy without bothering to aim. After shouting threats of wanton violence through the open door to anyone who might be outside waiting for him, he leaves the saloon and rides away on a white horse.

The film ends with a denouement: "Some years later, Mrs. Ansonia Feathers made the arduous journey to Hodgeman County, Kansas to visit the last resting place of her only daughter. William Munny had long since disappeared with the children... some said to San Francisco where it was rumored he prospered in dry goods. And there was nothing on the marker to explain to Mrs. Feathers why her only daughter had married a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition."

• Oscar Award
  • Best Picture: Clint Eastwood
  • Best Director: Clint Eastwood
  • Best Editing: Joel Cox
  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Gene Hackman
• Nominated:
  • Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Henry Bumstead, Janice Blackie-Goodine
  • Best Actor: Clint Eastwood
  • Best Cinematography: Jack N. Green
  • Best Sound: Les Fresholtz, Vern Poore, Rick Alexander (as Dick Alexander), and Rob Young
  • Best Original Screenplay: David Webb Peoples

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

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