KLR Unforgiven

In a typical western film, a cowboy looks for revenge by using a gun or overcomes some adversity. Throughout the bulk of the twentieth century (mid sixty years), there were certain expectations from a western; the alpha male cowboy is the protagonist, women and other minorities are not considered to be important characters, and humor is rarely included.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, revisionist westerns premiered, challenging the expectations of what a western should include. The film Unforgiven retells the story of a cowboy with alterations that makes it difficult to identify the protagonist, William Munny, as a villain or a hero.

In most westerns, although the alpha male typically looks for revenge from an outlaw, he is rarely perceived as one himself after killing him. Actually, the townspeople actually admire him and consider him a hero. In Unforgiven, though, the opposition of Little Bill Daggett to anyone coming into town for revenge, makes it clear that Munny is going against the law. Although Munny is doing the right thing by getting revenge, in the prostitutes’ eyes, his obstacle comes from the law, not another outlaw like in other Westerns. In the end, it is difficult to conclude if it was right that he went against the law in order to receive justice.

The minorities in this film, a colored man and women, were given more importance than typical in earlier westerns. Morgan Freeman’s character, Ned Logan, was considered to be Munny’s equal if not better (shooter). Munny won’t abandon him even after The Schofield Kid requests that he do so. This incorporates the idea that such minorities were considered to be equal, an idea that was rarely included, if ever, in earlier Westerns. Women were also regarded to be important characters.