Unforgiven (1992) Warner Bros. 📢 Director: Clint Eastwood 💰 Producer: Clint Eastwood 👫 Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -65th Academy Awards: March 29, 1993. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -The Crying Game. -A Few Good Men. -Howards End. -Scent Of A Woman. 📕 Plot summary: Set in the small western town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming in 1880, a group of prostitutes put up the money for a bounty on the two men who attacked one of their women. A pig farmer with a violent past (CLINT EASTWOOD) teams up with his old partner (MORGAN FREEMAN) and a punk kid to kill the men responsible but run into difficulties when they encounter the sheriff of the town (GENE HACKMAN). 💥 Standout scene(s): When Clint Eastwood confronts Gene Hackman at the end in the saloon. Clint takes no prisoners. 🔑 Facts: -The 65th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 9 Academy Awards, it won 4: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), Editing. -Second Best Picture appearance for Morgan Freeman (Driving Miss Daisy). -Second Best Picture appearance (and win!) for Gene Hackman (The French Connection). 🙂 Personal opinion: I myself am not a fan of westerns (I mean if you have ever had to endure a John Wayne film then you would probably understand why) but this is a solid western from actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood, reigniting the genre after a long absence. The story has some very strong characters played by a pretty well-established cast. The cinematography is decent (looks even better in 4K) and the editing of the film (which deservedly won the Academy Award) is well handled as it allows to interact the scenes in Big Whiskey with the whores along with the journey being made by the three gunmen who are heading their way. This builds the suspense rather nicely although there are some slow scenes along the way, such as the sequence when Gene Hackman has Richard Harris locked up in the cell and taunts him. William Munny: "It's a hell of a thing killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever going to have." Lennie Niehaus' score (and the main titles, which were written by Clint) is wonderful. The anticipated showdown between two screen legends in Eastwood and Hackman is worth waiting for. For the project I was able to see this very good film in 4K for the first time, with some of the outdoor scenes (particularly the winter landscapes) looking absolutely immaculate. R.I.P. Gene Hackman. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅YES. 8/10

Review date: 21 April 2025