1992
Directed by Clint Eastwood
The Western genre is dying or, arguably, dead. I am pretty sure this is the last one in our Book, which is quite disappointing to me (although I realize that the genre is outdated, formulaic, and often racist). At least the Western goes out with a bang.
Quick Mike and Davey Boy Bunting cut up a prostitute after she laughs at Quick Mike's tiny penis. I suppose Mike had to reclaim his fragile manhood. The sheriff, Little Bill Dagget, refuses to arrest the two cowboys, instead making them pay a fine to the brothel owner. The other prostitutes are furious, and put a $1,000 bounty on Quick Mike and Davey Boy. The Schofield Kid, a young man eager to win the money, recruits William Munny and Ned Logan to help him. William and Ned are both retired gunfighters, but they agree to kill the two cowboys (because we all know what a hero Eastwood is to women). Their task is further complicated by the fact that Little Bill does not allow guns in his town. In conclusion, gun control is clearly evil.
I always love how Eastwood will pay homage to spaghetti Westerns, and you can definitely see that here. The sets are just beautiful and the acting is a lot better than in our previous Eastwood directed films (Freeman raises the bar, as does Hackman). It's a little on the long side, but the climax more than makes up for the wait.
So a great movie and hey, an Eastwood Western without rape. Gotta grab those while you can. Okay, I'll stop...
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
The concept had been floating around Hollywood for 20 years before Clint Eastwood decided to direct the movie.
I remember thinking that this movie was way over the top, though I am both a fan of the Western and a Clint Eastwood fan. I didn't like it and thought everyone's acting was overly dramatic
ReplyDeleteI liked Freeman in it, but I guess everyone else was a bit over the top.
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