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Parents' Guide to

Unforgiven

By Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Violent Oscar winner shatters myths of the Old West.

Movie R 1992 131 minutes
Unforgiven Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 6 parent reviews

jmo97
jmo97 Adult
June 16, 2016
age 17+

A very intense, but mature, Western about the effects of violence

The first time I saw the movie, I thought it was kind of slow, though it had some interesting scenes that discuss the negative effects of violence on people. The second time I saw it, I understood the characters more and felt that they were actually people. I also understood the ending more, in the sense that I saw more of its anti-violence message. This is a powerful film that features very good acting (though I felt Clint Eastwood was just alright) and engaging dialogue between the characters. There isn't a ton of violence, but when it does appear, it is often startling. The opening scene in the brothel is probably the most disturbing, as it has a brief sexual sequence with two people (non-graphic and no nudity) and a woman being sliced at the face. Additionally, there are mostly shootings, but also a whipping, and two intense beatings (the first one pretty bloody). There are a couple of sexual references and discussions, including with prostitutes. The language includes occasional f- and s-words, and a lot of "son of a b----" s. All this being said, this movie focuses more on making it look sad to settle problems and grudges with violence, which I think is a worthy message to observe for only mature teens and older. 9.3/10
Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of baby-year-old
March 17, 2016
age 13+

Its an Oscar winner that deserves it. See it.

Sure it may seem cliche by todays standards with its Old Bad Guy turned good who gets pulled back into the fight story copied by just about every Jason Statham movie. But his movie does it far more complexity. 4 F words. No blood. A couple of sexual references and a facially scarred prostitute.
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What's the Story?

When a prostitute is brutally slashed in the face and badly scarred, her assailants are discharged without fitting punishment. To avenge their friend, her co-workers offer $1000 reward to anyone willing to kill the attackers. William Munny (Clint Eastwood), a retired outlaw/killer who's trying to go straight and make ends meet for his children on a ramshackle hog farm, joins with his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and The Scofield Kid, a young braggart, as they head for Big Whiskey, Wyoming to kill the slashers and split the reward. But Sheriff Little Bill Taggart (Gene Hackman) runs a tightly-controlled town. The citizens fear their sheriff even as they respect his authority. Munny and his accomplices arrive and the forces of good and evil collide as justice is sought. But which force is good and which is evil? And, is there purity in either?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (11 ):

Clint Eastwood's career as a filmmaker and director soared with the release of this hauntingly memorable film. Winning Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, among others, UNFORGIVEN offers an original, thought-provoking, and gritty look at the true nature of violence, morality, and justice. Heroes are flawed; villains are complex. The act of taking a life has seldom been examined in action movies and Westerns. In this one, the consequences of that act override the deed itself: "Killing a man... it don't seem real... how he ain't gonna never breathe again, ever." And, "it's a hell of a thing, killing a man -- you take away all he's got, all he's ever gonna have."

Screenplay, performances, direction, cinematography, and music combine to create a different kind of Western, one that made a significant change in an All-American genre.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this movie is a departure from traditional Westerns (for example: the good guy is an outlaw; the bad guy is the sheriff). What are some of the other Old West myths that are turned upside down here?

  • How does the story of English Bob help illustrate what the west was really like?

  • What do you think the filmmakers were trying to say about the consequences of evil and/or violent behavior?

  • How do the women in this film stand up for themselves?

  • What other choices do you think they had?

Movie Details

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