DS Unforgiven

Unforgiven is a prime example of a revisionist western film for several reasons. What initially strikes the viewer as 'revisionist' is the presence of a black man (Morgan Freeman) in a prominent role. Ned Logan is Will Munny's "sidekick" in the traditional sense of the term, but arguably possesses more alpha male qualities within his character than that of Will Munny. Physically speaking, he is in better health and has a better shot with a gun. He is also a land owner and married to a Native American woman. The role and prominence of this black character is a sharp shift in perception from the classic American western in the sense that blacks (and all minority groups, or more generally the 'non-white and 'non-male' characters) have typically been lumped into "the other" categorization of characters in the western along with women, immigrants, and Native Americans.

The film also provides a twist on the alpha male archetype. In other words, Will Munny is not your typical alpha male. He is both emotionally and physically flawed. Emotionally, he is forever tied to his past and is perpetually lamenting the drunk and misguided antics of his younger life. Regret is not a typical, idealized trait of the conventional alpha male cowboy. He is also forever emotionally tied to his dead wife, repeating throughout the film that he is "still married." The notion that a woman--much less a dead woman--could have such utter dominance over the alpha male really defies the definition of the alpha male as a forever roaming 'lone wolf' that wouldn't dare settle down. Physically speaking, Will Munny has aged, and has lost his skills with the gun and with riding horseback, which he is forced to relearn. These flaws contribute to the revisionist nature of the film as they are so atypical of the alpha male cowboy.