One of the most important scenes leading up to the bar fight, is where they talk about how chaotic a gun fight can be and people are trying to shoot quickly. The person who remains calm is the most likely one to walk out of the fight alive. Why did he kill the bar owner first? As he said "He decorated his saloon with my friend." It was personal. What an incredible film this was.
I would add the scene where English Bob shows up. The deputies are scared as they’re loading their weapons waiting for Little Bill. That’s foreshadowing that none of them has the killer instinct like Eastwood and Hackman’s characters. I think it’s also telling that both of these calm killers can do little else in life well.
As a dry alcoholic, the scene where Munny takes a pull off the bottle gives me chills. Thats a man who's fueled by a rage that'll outlive his body... But to know he went back to raising his kids and running a store, its what makes Eastwood's works feel real.
Yes! Decades ago I wrote a paper for film school about this movie, and I remember that line seemed to sum up a sort of nihilism in the moral universe of the film. Ned Logan didn't really deserve what happened to him. Delilah didn't deserve what happened to her. And arguably, Munny didn't deserve to get away and get back to his kids and live happily ever after.@@Vulcanerd
I saw an interview with Dave Webb Peoples, He said that when he saw the movie for the first time - that he was shocked that the movie was exactly what he'd written Clint Eastwood didnt alter the script in any way... Unheard of for a Hollywood movie. The winner for the 1993 best screenplay was "Crying game" - which is defensible, also a good movie about the Troubles in Ireland. Its a very good movie - but its disappeared, completely from pop culture. All movies directed by Clint Eastwood are worth seeing. Trouble with the Curve, Million Dollar Baby and Grand Torino are all very good. Grand Torino is a huge tear jerker (even more than Million Dollar Baby)
He explains in the movie why he killed the bar owner first "He should've armed himself if he was gonna decorate his saloon with my friend". Those two kills, the saloon owner and Little Bill was personal, the rest was just collateral damage.
I was 22 when this came out and I went to see it with my 17 year old cousin. When we walked out he asked me what I thought and I told him I thought it was probably the best western I'd ever seen, and maybe one of the best movies I'd ever seen. Now, 32 years later, I still think exactly the same thing. As much as I loved Million Dollar Baby, this will always be Eastwood's masterpiece to me.
The two best westerns ever made: 1) The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, and 2) Unforgiven - both starring Clint Eastwood. Yet they are so different from each other in spirit !
The final gun fight is the perfect personification of a Wyatt Earp quote. “Fast is fine, accuracy is final. You have to learn to be slow in a hurry.” Also, most of Eastwood’s lines are either questions or are kind of unsure answers except when Little Bill tells him he’ll see him in Hell. “Yep”
There aren't any good guys in this movie, & certainly Bill isn't one. He wields his authority arbitrarily, with no concern for any sense of justice. William seems to be sincerely *trying* to be a good person, with mixed results. The partner of the guy who did the slashing might be a pretty good guy, though I don't think we know enough about him to say. He just has the bad luck to get caught up in the women's vendetta even though he tried to stop his partner once he realized what was going on. In this world, no one cares about justice, so he unfairly suffers the same fate as his partner.
@@joshmackaben4537 I love the movie, and your spirit, but real-looking shoot-outs don't need wire and pulley work. It is a COOL one, though. Shot for shot, most realistic is Tombstone.
@@OneVoiceMore well honestly, I agree with you. Tombstone is my Favorite western by far. Kilmer was robbed! lol. Was really just trying to "Entice" a reaction to take place. I should have said "One" of the best! Even Wyatt Earp is pretty decent. I wish a reactor would do Lonesome Dove, not for gunfighting obviously. Could break it up episodically too. Anyhoo, just a fan of the genre, and reactions to it. Hopefully there will be more to come. Take care friend, Peace and Health... ✌️👍
@@joshmackaben4537 I b'lieve we'd get along. I'm writing/drawing a graphic novel from about 1820-1920, heavily centered on the old west, so yeah, favorite genre AT TIMES, for me, too. Shanelle likes horror, so I hear. "Django Unchained" would probably sate any slasherflick fans with gore content alone --- But I gotta cast my vote for "BONE TOMAHAWK" with Kurt Russell (who is still sporting his epic beard from "Hateful Eight" at the time BT was filmed). It is a true western horror story, extremely well done.
So many great westerns. One of the best westerns of the 80s that isn’t reacted to enough is Silverado. Great, all star cast (Kevin Costner’s makeup by Lawrence Kasdan for ending up on the cutting room floor in The Big Chill), and a lot of fun.
Richard Harris had a long career as a movie star. See him in Robin and Marion (1976), as King Richard the Lion Heart, staring Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audry Hepburn as Maid Marion and Robert Shaw (from Jaws). A gem of a movie
Notice how William had problems throughout the film getting on his horse, and at the end, after he got drunk and killed everyone, there was not a problem getting on the horse.
A good point, but one I think that is even more nuanced; Munny's return to the saddle after a delay of eleven years makes both him AND the horse he rode in on (now converted into a plow-horse) unaccustomed to each other, further emphasizing just how far he's come from the man of intemperate disposition he'd once been.
Unforgiven is my favorite western, but the TV mini-series Lonesome Dove is a very close second. It was Taylor Sheridan's inspiration for the recent 1883 series.
It really puts chill in my spine to see, how Clint's character changes course of the film. You really can see, he was true black hat villain in younger days. To see glimpse in his cool, calculative rage at the final shoot out is spine chilling... and to this date this is one of the best westerns. Even you don't ever see her, MVP of Munny's story his late wife. What kind of woman it needed to tame young Munny into his current character? An amazing woman. You could see William Munny as old version of Man of No name easily. That is what makes this film even better.
The biographer (Saul Rubinek) and the woman who had her face cut (Anna Thomson)were both in the film True Romance written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. Tony Scott is the brother of Ridley Scott who directed Blade Runner which was screenwritten by David Webb Peoples who also wrote the screenplay for this film.
@@robertharper5087 I think part of why it's not as widely spoken of currently is it's protagonist is a Confederate veteran. Complicated to root for a man who took up arms against the US Government to preserve the right to own slaves, granted he was a poor farmer himself. It's very well done and entertaining but the legacy is complicated
I haven't gotten to the movie yet but in response to your intro: "Open Range" - Produced, Directed, & Starring Kevin Costner with Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, & Michael Jeter. Filmed on location, i.e., great scenery! Interesting plot. I highly recommend it to fulfil your interests.
Great pick, Shanelle. Thanks for watching this amazing film. A little shoutout to Richard Harris, whose part is small and doesn’t get enough love in American cinema. He was the greatest Dumbledore.
@yt45204from the Harry Potter films. Richard Harris was the first actor to play Dumbledore in the first 2 films before his death in 2002. He was replaced by Michael Gambon (who also passed away last year) for the rest of the series.
@@CoastalNomad Yeah, it’s not that he’s unknown or unloved, just that he deserves even more attention imo. I don’t think he’s remembered or discussed much by American film goers, if that makes sense.
Since he goes away in the middle I think Richard Harris’ part in this movie is often overlooked. I always love how in his last scene he’s shouting at everyone in a much rougher, lower class accent than his earlier one. Just another way of showing how his “English Bob” persona was a character he built up.
You mentioned the silent stare of Sally Two Trees saying all it needed to... This is one of the quietest reaction you've ever done. That says all we need to know about how you felt
Omg you want High Plains Drifter, another Clint Eastwood classic for its writing, set design, mood and feel, acting, and creepiness. You won't regret it!
Common theme to watch out for with a number of Clint's westerns (though not all); he often rides a white or grey horse, which is likely a reference (and especially evident in the film "Pale Rider") to the Bible verse Revelation 6:8; "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him..."
Love this film. My favorite actor Gene Hackman picked up his second Oscar for this role. And Clint got Best Director and Best Picture, if memory serves.
One of my favorite shots is in the end as Will slowly rides back into the darkness, the girls watching and the girl that got cut up has a slight smile as their avenging Angel rides by back from whence he came, excellent film, thanks
The scene where you ask if the pistol was accurate was another scene in which Western Myth is set straight. The weapons that were used most at the time were the Rifle and Shotgun because you could kill your enemy from a distance dispelling the whole QuickDraw duel myth so popular in Westerns.
My late wife and I viewed this in the theatre upon its release, and we were both captivated by this film and the message therein. CE was Debbie's very favorite and really loved all of his pix. My Auntie Gloria was a film/TV actress from the early-1950s to the mid-1960s and worked w/ Eastwood a couple of times on the "Rawhide" western series. (She may have even given him his first on-screen kiss. A snippet of the two of them appearing together may be seen in the CE-directed "Jersey Boys".)
Richard Harris had a huge hit with mcarthurs park. A song about a cake melting in the rain and he was distressed because he wouldn't have that recipe again.
Unforgiven was and still to this day is an exceptional film directed by and starring Clint who at 93yo is such a legend. Saul Rubinek who plays W W Beauchamp in this, played the character Lee Donowitz in another one of your recent videos shanelle and that was True Romance. Another excellent reaction as always👍. Enjoy the rest of your weekend 🙂
The harrowing line "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." really shows just how horrible an act killing a person is. It is the line that stuck in my mind from the first time I saw it.
I think this and Mystic River are Eastwood’s finest achievements. He doesn’t appear in Mystic River, but it’s very powerful, perhaps more so than this one, and that’s saying something.
The film that beat Unforgiven for the best original screenplay Oscar that year was The Crying Game, which is a great drama set around the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It might help to have some basic understanding of the Troubles before you see the film, but whatever you do, please don't look up anything about the plot of the movie, as you might easily encounter MAJOR spoilers. You can watch it on your own, of course, but I think people would enjoy seeing your reaction to its twists and turns.
When this movie came out it was widely considered "the last western," because it subverted so many western tropes in favor of realism that many critics and fans thought the genre wouldn't be able to survive.
I think you are right about discussing the women’s roll or views. The leader (Silky?) is very quick to condemn, like Little Bill, but the one who was injured (Delilah) seems more quick to forgive. I think she’s was truly touched when she was offered the horse. I don’t think that she would have wanted the cowboy dead. But to the others, that would be the only acceptable solution. I think there is a lot to think about and discuss. Also Delilah‘s interaction with Will, there is so much feeling there.
There is this sad subplot where the younger cowboy took no part in cutting up Delilah, but the other girls blame him all the same, and hate him even when he shows remorse and tries to give her something for herself (not the brothel owner). Delilah, for her part, might have even wanted to accept it because she bore him no ill-will, but Alice and the rest chase him off. They are just too angry about Bill decided to wave off any real punishment as a "boys will be boys" thing. Nobody really gets justice in this film - the younger cowboy dies having done nothing wrong to Delilah or anyone else. The older cowboy who is guilty dies too, but his death costs Ned (who was not guilty of anything either) his own life. Bill dies as revenge for what he did to Ned, along with his posse of average-joe deputies, and the whores end up hated by the townfolk and it's implied they all have to flee in the aftermath. The "Scofield Kid" gets the kill he wanted, and is immediately ashamed of what he's done. As for Reformed Will Munny, he gets back on the bottle and Demon Will Munny re-emerges, so hopefully moving away with his kids involves him becoming sober again (though you never know for sure).
Unforgiven is my all time favorite western. Other westerns that you might want to check out are (in no particular order) Open Range Outlaw Josey Wales Jeremiah Johnson Dances With Wolves True Grit (Remake) In a Valley of Violence
...three years after THIS Academy Award winning western epic...Gene Hackman took on yet another nasty & dastardly 'old-west sheriff' role, with 1995's "The Quick and the Dead"...a stylish, comic-bookish diversion from director Sam Raimi, who at the time was best known for the original 'Evil Dead' trilogy. Very stylish, campy, and character driven...with an awesome cast, ta' boot...and comes most highly recommended!!!
The actor who played the biographer has a lovely story about when screenwriter first saw the film. Apparently it brought him to tears because Clint Eastwood didn't change a single word of the script.
Also liked “goin’ to town!” Hilarious cuz that’s kinda where the phrase came from: “probably dating from the 19th century when going to town for an outing or a spree (or ???) was a big day for country folk.”
Hi shanelle, just accidently come across your channel and fell in love with you.. this is one of my all time favorite movies. Script was amazing as well as the characters... love clint and Gene.. great reaction, will be scrolling thru your channel watching reactions.. stay safe my friend.. 🙂
I love a "classic" western but my favorite genre of western is one that "tears down" the western mythos - two I would LOVE to see your reaction to are THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962) and THE BIG COUNTRY (1958), both are amazing films. : )
One more thing.."The Cowboys" with John Wayne. Probably one of the best westerns ever made. The bad guy Bruce Dern was the best bad guy ever. He had a hard time getting work after because people hated his character so much. He actually received hate mail over it.
If you want to go long-form for a Western, you can’t do better than the Lonesome Dove mini-series. It’s got a stellar cast, headed by Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, and a story that sustains over the entire series. (My dad is a huge Western fan, and he will stop and watch it every time he comes across it on TV. Every. Time.) I can also recommend Silverado as a modern-ish Western that’s worth it, written (with his brother) and directed by Lawrence Kasdan as a labor of love. I really enjoy watching movies with you! Peace …
One of the gems of the film is the scene showing the gut shot death of the young cowboy who showed such remorse over the 'cutting' (saving his best pony for the female victim). It adds such poignancy to the story and reinforces the overall theme of the deconstruction of the myth of the gunslinging wild west..
I find it a devastating scene - he might actually be the only character in the film who is genuinely good in his actions. He could have spent time bleating about having to pay for his partner's crime, but instead he takes it on himself to go beyond what was required by the law and to try to personally deliver restitution to the injured party. And this is a time and a place where the law has decreed that the women in the brothel are no more than property - without being forced or obliged he alone sees Delilah as a person to whom apology and compensation should be given. All the evidence says he's a good and moral person - and he has the worst fate in the film.
You got 3 guns and only 1 arm! All I know is I never wanna get killed for lack of shootin' back. That's a line that I remember. I also remember Sally, Ned's wife in a man's world, not having enough power of her own to just tell Will to go home and leave her husband the hell alone. I thought of her in the end when we learned that Ned had died. The bar scene where the anti hero confronts a superior force and avenges his friend and then proceeds to win an impossible battle. Little Bill stomped him to within an inch of his life but he came to kill him for what he did to Ned, and not himself. I just realized that after watching it again with you. Great reaction, Shanelle! I'm glad you enjoy Westerns. If you haven't seen Shane yet, I'll suggest you watch it and tell us what you think. Bye for now
I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. It instantly became my favorite western. The acting was perfect, not overdone, and it did a great job of not glamorizing the old west. It was simply a great film.
Oh GOD do I second that! Quigly Down Under is a wonderful film. Oh, and it also stars the legendary italian-american actress Laura San Giacomo. C'mon @ShanelleRiccio, some solidarity with our people. Listen to @jrobwoo688 and watch that movie! 😁
I was 21 when this movie came out; I did not see it right away, but I found it a very interesting movie that gives you a lot to think about. No matter how many times I see this movie, the most powerful scene is Will hearing that Ned is dead and his reaction, starting with taking the Kid's bottle and drinking from it. I also like the scene with Will and Delilah. Speaking of Delilah, I always find it interesting that no one ever asks about what she wants of if she wants those two men dead for what they did to her. I would like to have heard more from her. Much credit to the actress for a performance that did not have a lot of dialogue.
For me, an underrated scene is English Bob's "aura of royalty" argument in the barbershop. Whatever your feelings are about the monarchy, I like the pacing and the cinematography of it, and it's very thought-provoking dialogue.
After watching this movie about a billion times, I began to wonder, does “unforgiven” mean not having received forgiveness, or does it mean having received forgiveness that is subsequently revoked?
This and “open range” are my fav westerns. They both address one of my pet peeves about westerns in general, by showing new construction. All westerns should look like new towns… not run down ghost towns. In 1878 there were no old buildings in Wyoming. The “godless” Netflix miniseries also has new construction… and Deadwood does even better with tents! I love your content!
Its not in the same league as unforgiven... Maverick is a bubble gum movie, enjoyable in the moment, but doesnt give you anything to digest...In that once you see it, you'll likely never think about it again.
I feel like I get smarter about movies watching your reactions. This one is my favorite Western. I agree that it subverts the myth. Including the ways we were accustomed to movie deaths by gunfire and superhuman assassination skills. Thanks so much for your reactions! Nice work!
My favorite western of all time. Clint Eastwood says this was the film version of the end of his career in westerns. He made many other movies after this, but this was his "I ain't like that anymore" movie about his westerns.
Shanelle, since you loved this, you ought to check out "Pale Rider" from 1985, Staring Clint. It was also directed by Clint and is a good movie to watch after this to compare his directing approaches to each film and see how similar and different they are in their direction. It's a great film it has 7.3/10 on IMDb and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. There's a lot of similarities and differences.
Neil Jordan won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay that year. I think it's a case of the Academy spreading the love out a little. They knew Jordan's The Crying Game wouldn't win in any other category so they gave it the win for screenplay. The run of Best Picture winners from the early '90s was pretty darn strong: '91 The Silence of the Lambs '92 Unforgiven '93 Schindler's List There aren't many 3 year runs in Academy history that can compete.
The entire 70s run is pretty up there. Particularly 72-75 (73-76 for the years the Oscars were handed out for those films) with The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather 2 and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Great reaction Shanelle. For more great westerns, try Silverado, Big Jake, The Shootist, McClintock, Rio Bravo, (yeah I know a lot of John Wayne movies) and the 4 part mini-series Lonesome Dove starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones and so many other great actors. 2 other great non-western movies if you haven't already seen them are The Great Escape and also The Sting. Have a happy, healthy and prosperous year. Lots of success with your channel!
What I love about this film is that you can completely flip it around and it would still work. The noble sheriff trying to maintain law and order against a violent murderer
It wasn’t until the second time you mentioned “Harry Potter” that I realized you were talking about the biographer. English Bob, The Duck (Duke) of Death, is played by Richard Harris. He also played Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies. At first I thought you had picked up on that.
If you haven't seen the show "Deadwood," strongly recommend. If you appreciate this movie, you will love that. It's utterly unique and top-shelf in every artistic category.
I’m not a big fan of Western movies, but I do love Unforgiven and Tombstone. The movies were released in consecutive years, with Unforgiven coming first in 1992.
Same. I grew up on westerns, and I just was overexposed to them, it was always what my dad wanted to watch. Westerns or something with cops in it. So if you want to watch a good western, ask someone who doesn't like westerns. And they should put Unforgiven and Tombstone on the list, if their list is worth anything at all.
I think you were too anxious for the ending thinking Munny was going to die, but I knew when I first watched it that nothing was going to touch him. He was the devil incarnate at that moment, with thunder, lightning and threat to come back and kill all those SOB's if they don't bury Ned right. I've watched that scene so many times, and yet UA-camrs cut it out. Maybe it's against UA-cam's rules.
You can see in the final shoot out that the reason he is such a successful killer is that it is his element while for everyone else it is caught in a panic - Munny moves deliberately while everyone else is frantic.
Thank you very much for reacting to this film. I first saw this in the theatre when I was visiting friends in Montreal and was struck by its strong anti-violence theme. Shanelle, you are a duck of movie reactors--please react to other Westerns directed by Eastwood.
One of the most important scenes leading up to the bar fight, is where they talk about how chaotic a gun fight can be and people are trying to shoot quickly. The person who remains calm is the most likely one to walk out of the fight alive. Why did he kill the bar owner first? As he said "He decorated his saloon with my friend." It was personal. What an incredible film this was.
Very much Agreed and that's all I gotta say about that
I would add the scene where English Bob shows up. The deputies are scared as they’re loading their weapons waiting for Little Bill. That’s foreshadowing that none of them has the killer instinct like Eastwood and Hackman’s characters. I think it’s also telling that both of these calm killers can do little else in life well.
Ps. Spoiler alert.
He literally says why straight after he does it. You're obviously not playing with a full deck if you miss that.
amazing seriously!!
As a dry alcoholic, the scene where Munny takes a pull off the bottle gives me chills. Thats a man who's fueled by a rage that'll outlive his body... But to know he went back to raising his kids and running a store, its what makes Eastwood's works feel real.
I had the same reaction, the way Money just yanked that bottle from the kid gives me "I'm summoning the demon" vibes.
Very iconic scene...he says very little during that but the visual is haunting
"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have." I love that line!
Belongs on ANY list!
This film is filled with quotable lines, but everyone of Clint’s movies are. My personal favorite Clint line is in “The Gauntlet “
such a coincidence but I was thinking about that line earlier today...powerful stuff.
Along with, “I don’t deserve this... To die like this. I was building a house.”
“Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.”
Yes! Decades ago I wrote a paper for film school about this movie, and I remember that line seemed to sum up a sort of nihilism in the moral universe of the film. Ned Logan didn't really deserve what happened to him. Delilah didn't deserve what happened to her. And arguably, Munny didn't deserve to get away and get back to his kids and live happily ever after.@@Vulcanerd
I saw an interview with Dave Webb Peoples, He said that when he saw the movie for the first time - that he was shocked that the movie was exactly what he'd written Clint Eastwood didnt alter the script in any way... Unheard of for a Hollywood movie.
The winner for the 1993 best screenplay was "Crying game" - which is defensible, also a good movie about the Troubles in Ireland. Its a very good movie - but its disappeared, completely from pop culture.
All movies directed by Clint Eastwood are worth seeing. Trouble with the Curve, Million Dollar Baby and Grand Torino are all very good. Grand Torino is a huge tear jerker (even more than Million Dollar Baby)
Trouble with the Curve is a fun movie. I really enjoy that one
@yt45204 And Naked Gun 33 1/3...
He explains in the movie why he killed the bar owner first "He should've armed himself if he was gonna decorate his saloon with my friend". Those two kills, the saloon owner and Little Bill was personal, the rest was just collateral damage.
I was 22 when this came out and I went to see it with my 17 year old cousin. When we walked out he asked me what I thought and I told him I thought it was probably the best western I'd ever seen, and maybe one of the best movies I'd ever seen. Now, 32 years later, I still think exactly the same thing. As much as I loved Million Dollar Baby, this will always be Eastwood's masterpiece to me.
"Gran Torino" is right up there, too. Maybe "Absolute Power," a political thriller could be #3.
The two best westerns ever made:
1) The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, and 2) Unforgiven - both starring Clint Eastwood. Yet they are so different from each other in spirit !
What about Pale Rider? Also an Eastwood masterpiece imo. That one always seems to get overlooked for some reason
The final gun fight is the perfect personification of a Wyatt Earp quote. “Fast is fine, accuracy is final. You have to learn to be slow in a hurry.” Also, most of Eastwood’s lines are either questions or are kind of unsure answers except when Little Bill tells him he’ll see him in Hell. “Yep”
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." What a line as you're killing the "bad guy". Absolute chills.
Bad guy?! The law in a rugged Western town hunting down assassins does not make for a bad guy.
(well, I guess you did but that in quotes)
It's a hell of a thing killing a man, take away everything he has got and will ever have.
@@jowbloe3673 Little Bill is a fucking sadist. He is definitely a villain
@@jowbloe3673 you're the only person i've ever seen saying little bill is the good guy
There aren't any good guys in this movie, & certainly Bill isn't one. He wields his authority arbitrarily, with no concern for any sense of justice. William seems to be sincerely *trying* to be a good person, with mixed results. The partner of the guy who did the slashing might be a pretty good guy, though I don't think we know enough about him to say. He just has the bad luck to get caught up in the women's vendetta even though he tried to stop his partner once he realized what was going on. In this world, no one cares about justice, so he unfairly suffers the same fate as his partner.
This is simply one of the greatest Westerns ever made. The story, characters, dialogue, tension are all *chef's kiss* on point.
Replace "westerns" with "films" 😉
"you cowardly bastard, you just shot an unarmed man! "
" He should've armed himself, if he's gonna decorate his, store, with my friend. "
I think Clint had the screenplay several years earlier, but wanted to wait until he was older to finally film the movie.
I remember reading that too. I respect the hell out of that decision.
From what I remember, it was more like a couple decades. But, yeah, he sat on it for a good long time before he filmed it.
12:40
You call Mr. Beauchamp "Harry Potter."
He's standing right beside the first Dumbledore.
Cracked me up.
Yup, and if she ever gets to Open Range, we'll have the other Dumbledore. It's worth a watch as well. Best real world gunfight. IMO... ✌️
@@joshmackaben4537 I love the movie, and your spirit, but real-looking shoot-outs don't need wire and pulley work.
It is a COOL one, though.
Shot for shot, most realistic is Tombstone.
@@OneVoiceMore well honestly, I agree with you. Tombstone is my Favorite western by far. Kilmer was robbed! lol. Was really just trying to "Entice" a reaction to take place. I should have said "One" of the best! Even Wyatt Earp is pretty decent. I wish a reactor would do Lonesome Dove, not for gunfighting obviously. Could break it up episodically too. Anyhoo, just a fan of the genre, and reactions to it. Hopefully there will be more to come. Take care friend, Peace and Health... ✌️👍
Oh, forgot, Django should be up there with the Tops for Realism!
Just KIDDING!! 😆🤣
Just a Joshing Ya! ✌️
@@joshmackaben4537 I b'lieve we'd get along.
I'm writing/drawing a graphic novel from about 1820-1920, heavily centered on the old west, so yeah, favorite genre AT TIMES, for me, too.
Shanelle likes horror, so I hear.
"Django Unchained" would probably sate any slasherflick fans with gore content alone ---
But I gotta cast my vote for "BONE TOMAHAWK" with Kurt Russell (who is still sporting his epic beard from "Hateful Eight" at the time BT was filmed). It is a true western horror story, extremely well done.
Fav scene ever filmed is when Clint shows up in the bar at the end with the thunder
So many great westerns. One of the best westerns of the 80s that isn’t reacted to enough is Silverado. Great, all star cast (Kevin Costner’s makeup by Lawrence Kasdan for ending up on the cutting room floor in The Big Chill), and a lot of fun.
Silverado is a classic love letter to every western that came before it. It’s also one of my favorite westerns of all time.
I keep wanting to see that on streaming, but every time I sit down, I look at the long running time and go "nah".
@@wyldhowl2821 I don’t remember it being overly long. Whatever it is goes by fast.
Richard Harris had a long career as a movie star. See him in Robin and Marion (1976), as King Richard the Lion Heart, staring Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audry Hepburn as Maid Marion and Robert Shaw (from Jaws). A gem of a movie
Don't forget, he also played Dumbledore in the first 2 Harry Potter movies. RIP
Richard Harris, Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed. The Hellraisers.
C'mon, Man in the Wilderness?
A Man Called Horse.
Uh, 🤔 … Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator-along with Oliver Reed btw. Both acting legends.
Notice how William had problems throughout the film getting on his horse, and at the end, after he got drunk and killed everyone, there was not a problem getting on the horse.
A good point, but one I think that is even more nuanced; Munny's return to the saddle after a delay of eleven years makes both him AND the horse he rode in on (now converted into a plow-horse) unaccustomed to each other, further emphasizing just how far he's come from the man of intemperate disposition he'd once been.
Only pale horse in the movie?
Unforgiven is my favorite western, but the TV mini-series Lonesome Dove is a very close second. It was Taylor Sheridan's inspiration for the recent 1883 series.
I second this. A star-studded cast and based on a pulitzer prize winning novel. An absolute masterpiece. It's sad that it's not better known.
It really puts chill in my spine to see, how Clint's character changes course of the film. You really can see, he was true black hat villain in younger days. To see glimpse in his cool, calculative rage at the final shoot out is spine chilling... and to this date this is one of the best westerns. Even you don't ever see her, MVP of Munny's story his late wife. What kind of woman it needed to tame young Munny into his current character? An amazing woman.
You could see William Munny as old version of Man of No name easily. That is what makes this film even better.
Clint bought this script in the early 80’s and sat on it. He felt he wasn’t old enough yet to play the part. Just a brilliant performance all around.
The biographer (Saul Rubinek) and the woman who had her face cut (Anna Thomson)were both in the film True Romance written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. Tony Scott is the brother of Ridley Scott who directed Blade Runner which was screenwritten by David Webb Peoples who also wrote the screenplay for this film.
And David Webb wrote 12 Monkeys which starred Brad Pitt who was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon
Outlaw Josey Wales also worth watching.
One of the greatest and most quotable westerns
Chief Dan George was so good in that.
I treat it like an unofficial prequel. "Buzzards got to eat, same as worms."
Absolutely! It’s very overlooked by reactors. So many great “one liners”
@@robertharper5087 I think part of why it's not as widely spoken of currently is it's protagonist is a Confederate veteran. Complicated to root for a man who took up arms against the US Government to preserve the right to own slaves, granted he was a poor farmer himself. It's very well done and entertaining but the legacy is complicated
I haven't gotten to the movie yet but in response to your intro: "Open Range" - Produced, Directed, & Starring Kevin Costner with Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, & Michael Jeter. Filmed on location, i.e., great scenery! Interesting plot. I highly recommend it to fulfil your interests.
Came here to say the same. An underrated gem.👍
Great pick, Shanelle. Thanks for watching this amazing film. A little shoutout to Richard Harris, whose part is small and doesn’t get enough love in American cinema. He was the greatest Dumbledore.
@yt45204from the Harry Potter films. Richard Harris was the first actor to play Dumbledore in the first 2 films before his death in 2002. He was replaced by Michael Gambon (who also passed away last year) for the rest of the series.
Guess I am Older cause I know Richard Harris from "A Man Called Horse" and "Camelot".......
@@CoastalNomad Yup, or "Cromwell" & "Wild Geese"
@@CoastalNomad Yeah, it’s not that he’s unknown or unloved, just that he deserves even more attention imo. I don’t think he’s remembered or discussed much by American film goers, if that makes sense.
@@CoastalNomadI second "The Wild Geese"!
Since he goes away in the middle I think Richard Harris’ part in this movie is often overlooked. I always love how in his last scene he’s shouting at everyone in a much rougher, lower class accent than his earlier one. Just another way of showing how his “English Bob” persona was a character he built up.
You mentioned the silent stare of Sally Two Trees saying all it needed to... This is one of the quietest reaction you've ever done. That says all we need to know about how you felt
Thank goodness!
Omg you want High Plains Drifter, another Clint Eastwood classic for its writing, set design, mood and feel, acting, and creepiness. You won't regret it!
Common theme to watch out for with a number of Clint's westerns (though not all); he often rides a white or grey horse, which is likely a reference (and especially evident in the film "Pale Rider") to the Bible verse Revelation 6:8; "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him..."
Love this film. My favorite actor Gene Hackman picked up his second Oscar for this role. And Clint got Best Director and Best Picture, if memory serves.
One of my favorite shots is in the end as Will slowly rides back into the darkness, the girls watching and the girl that got cut up has a slight smile as their avenging Angel rides by back from whence he came, excellent film, thanks
My favorite western. Saw it in the theater opening day.
It occurred to me while watching this that Clints face is a landscape too. Nobody glares like him.
The scene where you ask if the pistol was accurate was another scene in which Western Myth is set straight. The weapons that were used most at the time were the Rifle and Shotgun because you could kill your enemy from a distance dispelling the whole QuickDraw duel myth so popular in Westerns.
My late wife and I viewed this in the theatre upon its release, and we were both captivated by this film and the message therein. CE was Debbie's very favorite and really loved all of his pix. My Auntie Gloria was a film/TV actress from the early-1950s to the mid-1960s and worked w/ Eastwood a couple of times on the "Rawhide" western series. (She may have even given him his first on-screen kiss. A snippet of the two of them appearing together may be seen in the CE-directed "Jersey Boys".)
Richard Harris had a huge hit with mcarthurs park. A song about a cake melting in the rain and he was distressed because he wouldn't have that recipe again.
“He shoulda armed himself if he’s gonna decorate his saloon with my friend”…RIP bar owner.
Trust a stranger?
"Jeremiah Johnson".
You'll deeply appreciate its levels.
100%!!!💥
Unforgiven was and still to this day is an exceptional film directed by and starring Clint who at 93yo is such a legend. Saul Rubinek who plays W W Beauchamp in this, played the character Lee Donowitz in another one of your recent videos shanelle and that was True Romance. Another excellent reaction as always👍. Enjoy the rest of your weekend 🙂
The harrowing line "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." really shows just how horrible an act killing a person is. It is the line that stuck in my mind from the first time I saw it.
Amazing movie!!! Hackman actually was very opposed to violence and violence in movies and this was kinda his point of his character.
Awesome film! In the Line of Fire(1993) directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich and Rene Russo, is also a good one.
Absolute Power (1997), directed by himself, is also a really good adaptation of a book by David Baldacchi
I was devastated by this film when I first saw it. It's been in my Top 20 best movies of all time ever since I chose a Top 20.
I think this and Mystic River are Eastwood’s finest achievements. He doesn’t appear in Mystic River, but it’s very powerful, perhaps more so than this one, and that’s saying something.
The film that beat Unforgiven for the best original screenplay Oscar that year was The Crying Game, which is a great drama set around the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It might help to have some basic understanding of the Troubles before you see the film, but whatever you do, please don't look up anything about the plot of the movie, as you might easily encounter MAJOR spoilers. You can watch it on your own, of course, but I think people would enjoy seeing your reaction to its twists and turns.
Agreed, the 93 Oscar's were really stacked.
When this movie came out it was widely considered "the last western," because it subverted so many western tropes in favor of realism that many critics and fans thought the genre wouldn't be able to survive.
I think you are right about discussing the women’s roll or views. The leader (Silky?) is very quick to condemn, like Little Bill, but the one who was injured (Delilah) seems more quick to forgive. I think she’s was truly touched when she was offered the horse. I don’t think that she would have wanted the cowboy dead. But to the others, that would be the only acceptable solution. I think there is a lot to think about and discuss. Also Delilah‘s interaction with Will, there is so much feeling there.
“Alice” is the leader of the escorts.
Too bad the quick-to-condemn are so often the ones who end up running things. 🤔
There is this sad subplot where the younger cowboy took no part in cutting up Delilah, but the other girls blame him all the same, and hate him even when he shows remorse and tries to give her something for herself (not the brothel owner). Delilah, for her part, might have even wanted to accept it because she bore him no ill-will, but Alice and the rest chase him off. They are just too angry about Bill decided to wave off any real punishment as a "boys will be boys" thing.
Nobody really gets justice in this film - the younger cowboy dies having done nothing wrong to Delilah or anyone else. The older cowboy who is guilty dies too, but his death costs Ned (who was not guilty of anything either) his own life. Bill dies as revenge for what he did to Ned, along with his posse of average-joe deputies, and the whores end up hated by the townfolk and it's implied they all have to flee in the aftermath. The "Scofield Kid" gets the kill he wanted, and is immediately ashamed of what he's done. As for Reformed Will Munny, he gets back on the bottle and Demon Will Munny re-emerges, so hopefully moving away with his kids involves him becoming sober again (though you never know for sure).
Unforgiven is my all time favorite western. Other westerns that you might want to check out are (in no particular order)
Open Range
Outlaw Josey Wales
Jeremiah Johnson
Dances With Wolves
True Grit (Remake)
In a Valley of Violence
...three years after THIS Academy Award winning western epic...Gene Hackman took on yet another nasty & dastardly 'old-west sheriff' role, with 1995's "The Quick and the Dead"...a stylish, comic-bookish diversion from director Sam Raimi, who at the time was best known for the original 'Evil Dead' trilogy. Very stylish, campy, and character driven...with an awesome cast, ta' boot...and comes most highly recommended!!!
"I was building a house." Man, that line - it gets me every time.
The actor who played the biographer has a lovely story about when screenwriter first saw the film. Apparently it brought him to tears because Clint Eastwood didn't change a single word of the script.
"off the sauce" that's a classic line Shanelle! 👍
Also liked “goin’ to town!” Hilarious cuz that’s kinda where the phrase came from: “probably dating from the 19th century when going to town for an outing or a spree (or ???) was a big day for country folk.”
Hi shanelle, just accidently come across your channel and fell in love with you.. this is one of my all time favorite movies. Script was amazing as well as the characters... love clint and Gene.. great reaction, will be scrolling thru your channel watching reactions.. stay safe my friend.. 🙂
Never clicked on a video any faster! 😃 It's been WAY too long. 2 weeks without a video of yours sent me into withdrawal!
I agree. I’m glad she’s back.
I love a "classic" western but my favorite genre of western is one that "tears down" the western mythos - two I would LOVE to see your reaction to are THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962) and THE BIG COUNTRY (1958), both are amazing films. : )
The man who shot Liberty valance is phenomenal
One more thing.."The Cowboys" with John Wayne. Probably one of the best westerns ever made. The bad guy Bruce Dern was the best bad guy ever. He had a hard time getting work after because people hated his character so much. He actually received hate mail over it.
If you want to go long-form for a Western, you can’t do better than the Lonesome Dove mini-series. It’s got a stellar cast, headed by Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, and a story that sustains over the entire series. (My dad is a huge Western fan, and he will stop and watch it every time he comes across it on TV. Every. Time.) I can also recommend Silverado as a modern-ish Western that’s worth it, written (with his brother) and directed by Lawrence Kasdan as a labor of love. I really enjoy watching movies with you! Peace …
You would absolutely love Deadwood series and the movie follow up. Greatest writing and is an HBO series that only got 3 seasons
One of the gems of the film is the scene showing the gut shot death of the young cowboy who showed such remorse over the 'cutting' (saving his best pony for the female victim). It adds such poignancy to the story and reinforces the overall theme of the deconstruction of the myth of the gunslinging wild west..
I find it a devastating scene - he might actually be the only character in the film who is genuinely good in his actions. He could have spent time bleating about having to pay for his partner's crime, but instead he takes it on himself to go beyond what was required by the law and to try to personally deliver restitution to the injured party. And this is a time and a place where the law has decreed that the women in the brothel are no more than property - without being forced or obliged he alone sees Delilah as a person to whom apology and compensation should be given. All the evidence says he's a good and moral person - and he has the worst fate in the film.
You got 3 guns and only 1 arm! All I know is I never wanna get killed for lack of shootin' back. That's a line that I remember.
I also remember Sally, Ned's wife in a man's world, not having enough power of her own to just tell Will to go home and leave her husband the hell alone. I thought of her in the end when we learned that Ned had died.
The bar scene where the anti hero confronts a superior force and avenges his friend and then proceeds to win an impossible battle.
Little Bill stomped him to within an inch of his life but he came to kill him for what he did to Ned, and not himself. I just realized that after watching it again with you. Great reaction, Shanelle! I'm glad you enjoy Westerns. If you haven't seen Shane yet, I'll suggest you watch it and tell us what you think. Bye for now
I saw this on video with my fam and we spent literally 45 minutes discussing all the subtext and the meaning of the title in all its aspects.
I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. It instantly became my favorite western. The acting was perfect, not overdone, and it did a great job of not glamorizing the old west. It was simply a great film.
Probably my favorite western. Thanks for watching this one. I suggest the western Quigley Down Under starring Alan Rickman and Tom Selleck.
Oh GOD do I second that! Quigly Down Under is a wonderful film. Oh, and it also stars the legendary italian-american actress Laura San Giacomo. C'mon @ShanelleRiccio, some solidarity with our people. Listen to @jrobwoo688 and watch that movie! 😁
I was 21 when this movie came out; I did not see it right away, but I found it a very interesting movie that gives you a lot to think about. No matter how many times I see this movie, the most powerful scene is Will hearing that Ned is dead and his reaction, starting with taking the Kid's bottle and drinking from it. I also like the scene with Will and Delilah. Speaking of Delilah, I always find it interesting that no one ever asks about what she wants of if she wants those two men dead for what they did to her. I would like to have heard more from her. Much credit to the actress for a performance that did not have a lot of dialogue.
For me, an underrated scene is English Bob's "aura of royalty" argument in the barbershop. Whatever your feelings are about the monarchy, I like the pacing and the cinematography of it, and it's very thought-provoking dialogue.
I love this movie as a deconstruction of the western genre and a treatise on violence, revenge, and justice.
After watching this movie about a billion times, I began to wonder, does “unforgiven” mean not having received forgiveness, or does it mean having received forgiveness that is subsequently revoked?
🤔 yes?
“We all got it comin’!”
Either way the end result is the same, you are not forgiven.
Love to see reactions to Shane, Hang'em High, High Plains Drifter, Silverado, Pale Rider, Quigley Down Under, Open Range. So many great westerns.
This and “open range” are my fav westerns. They both address one of my pet peeves about westerns in general, by showing new construction. All westerns should look like new towns… not run down ghost towns. In 1878 there were no old buildings in Wyoming. The “godless” Netflix miniseries also has new construction… and Deadwood does even better with tents! I love your content!
Got the first Dumbledore in this one, if she gets to Open Range, she'll see the second Dumbledore.. ✌️
Hahahaha I JUST realized!
Open Range is so underrated it’s criminal.
10:43 - No arguments there. And the best part is they haven't seem to have overdone them, meaning they'll be around for a good while longer! 😃
You should check out Maverick with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, & James Garner
Its not in the same league as unforgiven... Maverick is a bubble gum movie, enjoyable in the moment, but doesnt give you anything to digest...In that once you see it, you'll likely never think about it again.
Remember, in a good western, the landscape is just as much of a character as the people.
I feel like I get smarter about movies watching your reactions. This one is my favorite Western. I agree that it subverts the myth. Including the ways we were accustomed to movie deaths by gunfire and superhuman assassination skills. Thanks so much for your reactions! Nice work!
Great job ma'am. Another one of Clint's Classic's . 👍🙏🌹
My favorite western of all time. Clint Eastwood says this was the film version of the end of his career in westerns. He made many other movies after this, but this was his "I ain't like that anymore" movie about his westerns.
Shanelle, since you loved this, you ought to check out "Pale Rider" from 1985, Staring Clint. It was also directed by Clint and is a good movie to watch after this to compare his directing approaches to each film and see how similar and different they are in their direction. It's a great film it has 7.3/10 on IMDb and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
There's a lot of similarities and differences.
One of the best westerns ever!
3:04 - It's the lit sky against a dark foreground giving the scene a silhouette vibe that does it for me.
Eastwood definitely has a great eye for beautiful scenery.
@@jrobwoo688 Ain't that the truth!
Neil Jordan won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay that year. I think it's a case of the Academy spreading the love out a little. They knew Jordan's The Crying Game wouldn't win in any other category so they gave it the win for screenplay.
The run of Best Picture winners from the early '90s was pretty darn strong:
'91 The Silence of the Lambs
'92 Unforgiven
'93 Schindler's List
There aren't many 3 year runs in Academy history that can compete.
The entire 70s run is pretty up there. Particularly 72-75 (73-76 for the years the Oscars were handed out for those films) with The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather 2 and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
@@pencilnecked1579 Any run that includes both the original Godfather and Cuckoo's Nest is a strong one indeed.
Great reaction Shanelle. For more great westerns, try Silverado, Big Jake, The Shootist, McClintock, Rio Bravo, (yeah I know a lot of John Wayne movies) and the 4 part mini-series Lonesome Dove starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones and so many other great actors. 2 other great non-western movies if you haven't already seen them are The Great Escape and also The Sting. Have a happy, healthy and prosperous year. Lots of success with your channel!
What I love about this film is that you can completely flip it around and it would still work. The noble sheriff trying to maintain law and order against a violent murderer
I remember seeing this in the theater. It's one of my all-time favorite westerns and for me, one of Eastwood's bests.
I've seen this masterpiece maybe 9 times and it gets better and better.
the screenplay was fantastic. you are intellectual, and made for this medium! thank you.
Shan, you are doing great. Thanks for your commentary.
It wasn’t until the second time you mentioned “Harry Potter” that I realized you were talking about the biographer.
English Bob, The Duck (Duke) of Death, is played by Richard Harris. He also played Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies. At first I thought you had picked up on that.
If you haven't seen the show "Deadwood," strongly recommend. If you appreciate this movie, you will love that. It's utterly unique and top-shelf in every artistic category.
A beautiful reaction from a beautiful lady! x I would also recommend Open Range and Pale Rider if you want to watch more Westerns.
Awesome job, Shanelle. Love your reactions and knew you would appreciate and love this one. Such a brilliant film. One of my all time favorites.
Open Range, Silverado and Young Guns are a must see if you like westerns
I’m not a big fan of Western movies, but I do love Unforgiven and Tombstone. The movies were released in consecutive years, with Unforgiven coming first in 1992.
Same. I grew up on westerns, and I just was overexposed to them, it was always what my dad wanted to watch. Westerns or something with cops in it. So if you want to watch a good western, ask someone who doesn't like westerns. And they should put Unforgiven and Tombstone on the list, if their list is worth anything at all.
@@susanlawens3776 yes. Those two movies are just tremendous.
Great movie. I always like your input during the reaction. Also I like your facts at the end of your videos.
I think you were too anxious for the ending thinking Munny was going to die, but I knew when I first watched it that nothing was going to touch him. He was the devil incarnate at that moment, with thunder, lightning and threat to come back and kill all those SOB's if they don't bury Ned right.
I've watched that scene so many times, and yet UA-camrs cut it out. Maybe it's against UA-cam's rules.
Maybe not the devil incarnate, but surely the angel of death.
This is the best Western i have ever seen. Right up there with the man who shot liberty valance.
36:08 - Yeah, I know what you mean. Tight script, top-notch acting, gorgeous cinematography...
Brilliant, with each character just so much more dangerous
You can see in the final shoot out that the reason he is such a successful killer is that it is his element while for everyone else it is caught in a panic - Munny moves deliberately while everyone else is frantic.
Thank you, Shanelle! 🐴
Epic western morality tale with actors at the very top of their game ,watched it at least 30 times
First saw this in 1998 on TV and I thought it was one the greatest films I've ever seen still think it's one of the greatest films I've ever seen.
Girl, in the Wild West you would have been the lead actress and star of a traveling show ⭐😁
Thank you very much for reacting to this film. I first saw this in the theatre when I was visiting friends in Montreal and was struck by its strong anti-violence theme. Shanelle, you are a duck of movie reactors--please react to other Westerns directed by Eastwood.
Open Range is another excellent Western. Kevin Costner set out to make a modern film with a classic feel. Highly recommend.