Unforgiven
batmon
27,574 Posts
I have yet to see it.
I heard its real good but should it be on anyone's Top 10 Westerns List?
Tell me its NOT an amalgamation of Eastwood's previous characters/tropes.
Is this NEW ground or just very damn good for a Modern Western against a Western-less movie landscape?
Does this SON the Eastwood Classics, RANK w/ them, or hover just below.
Comments
I'm not convinced it's breaking real new ground but it's definitely a revisionist Western exploring both the classic Western myths and also Eastwood's previous roles. There's some interesting stuff going on in there but the main stroy and characters are strong enough that it can be watched as this deconstruction of the Western or just enjoyed as a top notch classic revenge style movie.
I wouldn't put it in the top 10 ever but it's undoubtedly a great film and definitely worth watching if you like Westerns even a little bit.
nothing fucking with JArmusch' s Dead Man
HA - ur so on point. I was actually lookin at a top 5 list on Gamefaqs and a lot of cats(kids) were talmbout Unforgiven.
It has to be a generational thang, cause i grew up on the OG Eastwoods, and I dont see this replacing any of those unless your a 20-something that missed out.
GAMEFAQS:
Sorry if this has been done. But it occured to me that many young gamers might not be familiar with this dying genre. So here is a list of my 5 favorite westerns of all time , with reasons why and some comparisons between them and Red Dead Redemption.
5. The Great Silence (196 - In the number 5 spot i have one of the less-known Spaghetti Westerns (Italian "mob" westerns of the 60's and 70's) and quite frankly, the production value here isn't quite the same as the other movies on this list. Nonetheless what The Great Silence lacks in glamour it more than makes up for in grit during the third act, which will resound well with many gamers. The ending of this movie beats any Western ever made IMO. Period. Can you say remake?
4. The Proposition (2005) - The most recent movie on the list, the proposition has been cited as the single most influential of the past 10 years on their development of RDR, so it should come as no surprise to see it here. As it happens it actually is an awesome movie with a brilliant soundtrack (think "there will be blood" strings) and poignant themes. What's it about, you say? The movie opens with a lawman (Ray Winstone) offering a deal to a wanted man(Guy Pearce) - go kill your older brother (Danny Huston) or we'll hang your younger one. Sound familiar?
3. The Wild Bunch (1969) - Go watch this movie and tell me you don't want to form a 4 man posse and head over to El Presidio in free roam. If you do you might even unlock this title in the game. Nothing needs to be said, next.
2. Unforgiven (1992) - Clint Eastwood directed himself here. All the way to the oscars where he won one for the job as well as another for best picture. Gene Hackman also won one for his role as the Marshal. The movie is about a reformed Gunslinger-turned-Farmer (Eastwood) who reluctantly gets lured back into a life he left behind. Also cited as a major influence to Rockstar, Unforgiven is unforgettable.
1. Once Upon A Time In The West (196 - Sergio Leone (dir. of the "man with no name" Western trilogy with Clint Eastwood) made the best Western of all time IMO here following up his release 2 years earlier of the more widely regarded "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly". Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda star in this existential epic involving themes of greed, revenge, lust, and pride. The director's cut is a must here, as it was the studio involvement which barred the films original success at release in the U.S. This movie epitomized everything about the Western genre, and was ahead of its time in camerawork and sound. Unfortunately in true Leone style (whom Tarantino cites as an influence in his non-linear style of storytelling) I can't tell you much about the movie's plot as it feeds on the fact that it isn't telling you everything up front, or much at all in fact. There is very little dialogue in the whole film, however every second of the movie is carefully detailed to convey message without words, conversations without speech.
Yeah it definitely doesn't replace them and that list is pretty iffy to say the least, I mean, how can you have a list of Westerns relating to RDR withdrawal and not have The Good, The Bad And The Ugly which RDR pays lots of tributes to (along with being one of my favourite films of any genre).
I don't think anyone should watch Unforgiven instead of the OG Eastwoods but it's worth watching as a footnote to the films that made him a star and the way it plays with the genre. I think it does share with RDR this end of the West style feeling though along with the blurred lines between good and bad.
also:
these specific flicks are all referenced in Red Dead Redemption,
also Il Grande Silenzio with Klaus Kinsky and The Wild Bunch mentioned above are both great if you havent seen them, grande silenzio is a little slow and dark tho.
This was next up on my questions.
At first glance Deadwood seem a little on the Sex In The City in the West (Glossed up HBO productons) type.
Then after many hours on RDR, ive become curious to what ive missed.
Ive started rewatching The Big Valley on Hulu, which i used to watch back in the day.
Top 5?
not quite but maybe top 10...
The Good, the Bad And The Ugly
Once Upon A Time In The West
High Noon
The Wild Bunch
High Plains Drifter
Django
The Searchers
Stagecoach
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Fistful of Dollars
For A Few Dollars More
Ride The Hard Country
Django...Kill
It's worth mentioning that I'm not really that up to scratch on Westerns and there's a lot of fifties classics I've never seen.
Deadwood is one of my favourite HBO productions, I can't recommend it enough.
It's as raw as any Western film I've seen, and they generally deal with your basic battle of good vs bad, with a gunfight showdown. Deadwood lacks gunfights, preferring to get in close and end it quickly with a knife, but it also goes a lot deeper than your average Western.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
I think Unforgiven was OK, not as great as you often hear.
Deeper meaning Male Soap Opera?
it's not like that at all. watch the film and get back to me with your take...
I hear ya..but even if its YOUR fave, would u put it against Once Upon A Time In The West?
Private Mind Garden vs All-Time Public Consensus.
SPOILERS
Deadwood is superior because it transcends its overwhelming macho male and masculine themes with amazing writing and acting. Not to mention it has excellent female roles that do not include shopping, babies or getting a man.
It's hard to write off a show in which one of the most moving scenes occurs during a blowjob.
What I loved about Deadwood began to disappear in the third season. Once they began to annex, etc. I lost interest. As well, Olyphant has the presence of a wet cracker and I could not take much more of him.
Deep Male Emotions?
i think the public consensus would be that the era of "great westerns" ended long before unforgiven was made and that without once upon a time in the west that unforgiven would not have been possible. i grant you all of that...
putting that context aside for a moment, i think unforgiven is the equal if not superior to any western movie out there. i'll go further, i think it was one of the best films of the 90's and i find myself re-watching it every year or so... i hope i didnt ruin it with too big a build up but at the very least you need to see it.
b/w
Once Upon A time in the West is a bit over-inflated IMO... but still a very good picture.
I shall.