I recently wrote a critique on this film and even though I’ve loved it since the first day I seen it, seventeen years ago, I never really understood the premise until now. The film is about violence and its uselessness. What an odd premise to have for a western film; with all the gratuitous violence in the western plains of the United States from 1865 through 1900. I always enjoyed the character role reversal between Gene Hackman and Clint Eastwood. Hackman portraying a violent lawman that administers spontaneous justice on whomever he wishes and Eastwood plays a penitent, pig farming, former assassin raising two young children on his own in Kansas during the early 1880’s. Eastwood is approached by the young, brash Schofield Kid to ride off for one last job and would give his family an opportunity to start over.
Reluctantly, he leaves his children and heads off to recruit his former partner and friend, Ned Logan, masterfully acted by Morgan Freeman.
The story ensues and culminates with Eastwood and Hackman facing off in the small town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming. There is no high noon shoot out or a subsequent ride off into the sunset. This film ends on a cold, dark and rainy night. As Eastwood’s character slowly prepares to end Hackman’s life the best line of the movie is uttered by Eastwood, “Deserves got nothin to do with it.” Hackman is wondering why his life is being ended by Eastwood’s murderous, child and woman killing self. He states prior to Eastwood’s famous line, “I don’t deserve this – to die this way – I was building a house.” This film is riddled with the uselessness of violence and how we all end up paying for our actions.
A western denouncing violence is a concept no one has approached before or since. Viewed from a perspective of no violent deed goes unpunished; we can understand what Eastwood is attempting to say in this film. The lesson we can all learn from this cinematic masterpiece is no matter how noble or just our intentions – violence is never the answer.
Have a great day and God Bless.
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Tags: clint eastwood, critquing films, gene hackman, modern westerns, morgan freeman, richard harris, unfogiven, unifrgiven film, uselessness of violence, violence solves nothing
