The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven is a revisionist film for numerous reasons. Some reasons pertain to the casting while other reasons pertain to the actions of the characters in the film. First is the casting of an African American male (Morgan Freeman) he holds a significant role in the story, and his impact on the script caused the plot to intensify. Most Western’s do not include people of color and when they do the character is usually obedient and quiet. Yet in this movie (Morgan Freeman) plays the main comrade to Munny, the alpha male. His death in the movie infuriated Munny and caused him to go on a rampage, to seek revenge for the death of his best friend. The second reason is casting women as prostitutes which make them by occupation low. Yet even though they are degraded due to their gender and occupation which was evident when the Sherriff made the cowboy who slashed a prostitutes face give her livestock. The women took matters in their own hands creating a bounty of 1000 dollars for the man who disrespected them. Munny who wanted to stop dabbling in illegal acts had to due to his obligation to his family. Which shows another juxtaposition to a generic western cowboy, being a part of a family, is no where close to being a lone ranger. Also as the Alpha male Munny does not stick to justice and what is right for society but rather sticks to his own rights and what suits his family.