watch more Westerns

One word: Bloody. Directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave. Although only 104 minutes long, the movie takes its time (don’t most Westerns?) but not in a bad way. Set in 19th century Australia, the movie is about retribution and focuses on the lives of Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) and his wife (Emily Watson) and how they are affected by a proposition Stanley makes to the outlaw Charles Burns (Guy Pearce), who is part of a group charged with gruesomely murdering a family. The landscape is both beautiful and harsh and suspense is effectively built by Stanley’s proposition, leaving the viewers both anticipating and dreading the results.

Has it only been almost three days? I watched Unforgiven Monday night and still haven’t had the chance to process it, though it feels like I’ve seen it quite awhile ago. I’m hoping to go back and watch all of the extras. The movie was best described to me as a western with characters reluctant to be in a western. I, for one, greatly enjoyed the unglorified portrayal of William Munny, Little Bill, Ned Logan, English Bob and The Schofield Kid. In fact, the presence of the character of biographer W.W. Beauchamp makes the viewer more aware of the how quickly tall tales can be spun and false legends created. Underneath it all run themes of violence, justice, revenge… I think this quote by Munny sums it up nicely: It’s a hell of a thing to kill a man. To take everything he has, and everything he ever will have.