The Western genre is one of cinema’s oldest, and there have been some incredible quotes in those movies over the years. The Western genre also has seen some incredible characters played by icons like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, and Kevin Costner, and all of these actors had a chance to deliver some standout moments in their films.
However, there is one quote that remains the best in genre history, and one that signifies what Westerns are all about. It is by one of the greats of Western films, a man who defined what the modern-day Western antihero looks like. That actor is Clint Eastwood, and it was his masterpiece that contained this quote.
Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven Has The Western Genre’s Best Quote
In 1992, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in what many consider to be the perfect swansong for the Western genre, Unforgiven. When Eastwood took over the mantle of king of the Westerns from John Wayne, he changed what the genre looked like. He refused to star as a white-hat hero and demanded to be presented as a reluctant antihero.
With Unforgiven, Eastwood wanted to present what appeared to be the end of the glamorized Old West. Eastwood was a retired outlaw and gunfighter, and he was living his later years alone after his wife’s death. However, a young gunfighter showed up looking for advice, and an old friend showed up to throw his life into turmoil.
When the young gunfighter named The Schofield Kid was talking to Eastwood’s William Munny about the “glamorous” life of a gunfighter, Munny was much more philosophical than the young man might have expected. That is when he delivered a perfect Western movie quote:
“It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have.”
If anything, this Western quote signifies what the Old West was all about in the movies. While real life was nowhere near what the films made it out to be, it seems that gunfighting and murder were glamorized in the Old West on the big screen.
Munny had a more realistic look at the situation. A gunfighter is nothing but a killer, and it isn’t glamorous at all.
This showed the significant change that Clint Eastwood made when he came into the Western movie genre. When John Wayne gunned down countless people, he was celebrated for it. Clint Eastwood’s characters never wanted to be celebrated. They mostly wanted to be left alone.
Unforgiven Is Full Of Great Quotes
The best thing about Unforgiven, other than the nuanced and brilliant story, was that it had incredible dialogue. There are more great Unforgiven quotes than there are in most Westerns over the years. The Clint Eastwood quote about killing a man was just one of many in the movie that shone a brilliant light on the history of Westerns.
At one point, Will Munny is with the young gunfighter and explains that “We all have it coming,” explaining they are as guilty as anyone and are sentenced to die like everyone else. It moved on to when Munny was looking for revenge after Ned’s murder, and he made sure to let everyone know he was coming to kill them.
It culminated when he finally killed the cruel sheriff, Little Bill (Gene Hackman). When Bill said he didn’t deserve it, Munny responded, “Deserve’s got nothing’ to do with it.” The Unforgiven quotes are a big reason it was an Oscar favorite, and it remains the highlight of all modern-day era of the Western genre, 33 years since its release.
- Release Date
-
August 7, 1992
- Runtime
-
130 Mins
