10 Westerns You Need To Watch After Playing Red Dead Redemption 2
2. Unforgiven
Considered by many to be Clint Eastwood's masterpiece, 1992's Unforgiven is so special because of what it represents - a dismantling of everything Eastwood was known for previously.
His tale of William Munny, a weary reformed outlaw trying to make good on his previous deeds feels like a natural conclusion to the story of the aforementioned Man With No Name, stripping away the mystique of that character and providing the viewer with a more human character than Eastwood's earlier protagonists.
Munny's engagement in one final job (the assassination of two cowboys who disfigured a local prostitute) is less an act of greed or heroism but one of desperation. His farm is failing and he feels unable to provide a future for his children. Upon arrival in the town of Big Whiskey, the job turns out to be anything but simple, as Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett has already resolved the crime without resorting to murder and has vowed to punish anybody who attempts to collect the bounty. Things swiftly go downhill, with Munny losing his old partner and finally gunning down all the lawmen in town. Despite having earned the bounty, his victory feels hollow as he has slid back towards the past life he had tried so hard to leave behind.
He rides away, not gloriously into the sunset but in a downpour, screaming threats of further violence at anyone who dare follow him into the night. A Wild West hero he ain't.