Moral ambiguity is the theme of this picture. None of the characters are really likable. They all have their flaws and moral failings. In the end, the main character achieves his goal, but at such a price as to make the reward meaningless. The viewer is left with a somewhat incomplete feeling, as if there is no closure to the story. And I think this is the overall sense that Writer David Webb Peoples and Producer-Director-Star Clint Eastwood were striving for.
Eastwood's performance as anti-hero William Munny is, of course, the film's feature. He is a changed man as a result of the love of a good woman, and sets out on his quest to achieve some measure of security for his children, who are the only other legacy of his late wife, but it is a mission of brutality and revenge. We know he is a killer who has a past of savagery and brutality that is somewhat legendary. But we know his quest is driven by unselfish motives.
The supporting cast is quite exceptional. Gene Hackman's portrayal of frontier town lawman "Little Bill" Daggett presents another dimension of the moral ambiguity that underlies the story. On the one hand, he presents a facade of tough-minded fairness and a desire to keep the peace in his backwater pioneer town, but does so with a brutal, thuggish, sadistic manner that blunts any redeeming traits. Morgan Freeman as Eastwood's partner is also a past killer who would just as soon stay home on the farm, but signs on to ride one last time as Muny's partner in the reward offered to kill the assaulter of a saloon whore. The group of saloon call girls themselves, while perhaps being the ones the viewer would most empathize with, have no qualms about upping their "quota" of customers to hoard cash to offer as the reward for someone to kill the brutalizers of one of their group.
This movie does the viewing public a service by portraying the darker and arduous side of the early American West, in contrast to the more romantic visions often offered by the movie industry. In actual life, it was a hostile, forbidding, often brutal and unforgiving environment. The price to tame this continent was very high, often paid in ways other than monetary. It often was often paid at the cost of the soul of a person.
Because of its exceptional cast and carefully crafted story, this film rates very high on my list. Eastwood fans will appreciate his effort in a different kind of role and in a story of some complexity. Give it a viewing and then a fair amount of time for contemplation.
Eastwood's performance as anti-hero William Munny is, of course, the film's feature. He is a changed man as a result of the love of a good woman, and sets out on his quest to achieve some measure of security for his children, who are the only other legacy of his late wife, but it is a mission of brutality and revenge. We know he is a killer who has a past of savagery and brutality that is somewhat legendary. But we know his quest is driven by unselfish motives.
The supporting cast is quite exceptional. Gene Hackman's portrayal of frontier town lawman "Little Bill" Daggett presents another dimension of the moral ambiguity that underlies the story. On the one hand, he presents a facade of tough-minded fairness and a desire to keep the peace in his backwater pioneer town, but does so with a brutal, thuggish, sadistic manner that blunts any redeeming traits. Morgan Freeman as Eastwood's partner is also a past killer who would just as soon stay home on the farm, but signs on to ride one last time as Muny's partner in the reward offered to kill the assaulter of a saloon whore. The group of saloon call girls themselves, while perhaps being the ones the viewer would most empathize with, have no qualms about upping their "quota" of customers to hoard cash to offer as the reward for someone to kill the brutalizers of one of their group.
This movie does the viewing public a service by portraying the darker and arduous side of the early American West, in contrast to the more romantic visions often offered by the movie industry. In actual life, it was a hostile, forbidding, often brutal and unforgiving environment. The price to tame this continent was very high, often paid in ways other than monetary. It often was often paid at the cost of the soul of a person.
Because of its exceptional cast and carefully crafted story, this film rates very high on my list. Eastwood fans will appreciate his effort in a different kind of role and in a story of some complexity. Give it a viewing and then a fair amount of time for contemplation.