This movie deserved an Oscar and got it too. A very serious movie superbly directed by none other than Clint Eastwood.
The rawness of the movie is what appeals to me the most. And how all the characters are well-defined. There IS no good guy here. neither is there a bad guy here. But lots of real emotions like ego, lust, vanity, guilt, confusion, remorse, revenge, etc.
The cast performance is awesome. Some might complain about the slow pace of the movie. but that is precisely what makes it a Classic.
William Munny played by Clint Eastwood used to be a mean cowboy back in his youth. By’mean’ I mean a guy who does not think twice before shooting anybody and has lost count of how many he has killed.
Ultimately he gets married and his wife reforms him - makes him give up drinking and creates a decent human being out of him. He loves her so much that even after she dies he stays reformed and works on his pig farm.
He then gets an offer for killing two cowboys for 1000 dollars in return. he accepts it because he needs the money for his kids’ education. Things take a turn for the worse when an egotistical sheriff gets in the way.
The 1000 dollars if offered by a group of sex workers as one of the cowboys had cut up the face of one of the ladies and they got little justice from the sherriff.
I can go on and on about the plot but I will leave it here. let the story build up as you see it.
Gene Hackman plays the egotistical sheriff, Morgan Freeman plays Ned - an old friend of William Munny who has also reformed. Other characters worth mentioning are’The Schofield Kid’ - the enthusiastic youngster who carries an expensive Smith and Wesson rifle. Mr. Beauchamp - an author who writes a first-hand account of real-life stories that happen in the Wild West. And many more.
This is NOT a movie for thrill-seekers, it is a movie for an intellectual audience who would get thrilled by the’human’ overtone that it provides.
Clint Eastwood’s talent comes to the fore when his character shoots a man after 11 years - the subtle way in which he shows that he feels guilty about it is mindblowing.
My favourite scene is the one in the end when William Munny comes back to the town of Old Whiskey.
By the way, my review title - "Did you get him?" means " Did you kill him?"
Enough said, watch the movie. and let me know how you liked it.