Have you ever seen something so brilliant that you wish you were the first to think of it? Well, the same thing happens all the time in the entertainment industry. The streaming networks and production studios are in bidding wars for the most promising pitches, and the directors are competing to work on the most interesting movies.
Even in a genre that now seems as niche as the Western, the competition for awards and recognition never ends. The good thing is that no matter who wins the race, audiences get to see the best content.
After the success of Dances With Wolves in 1991, it was impossible to imagine another film that would beat its success for Kevin Costner. However, he already knew the one he wanted, but couldn’t have. The 1992 Unforgiven, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, still remains Costner’s biggest miss.
Was Kevin Costner in Unforgiven?
When we talk about Westerns today, there are two names that always come up: Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner. With both of them contributing so much talent and time to popularizing the genre and making sure that all the productions stay on top quality, it’s not surprising that their paths cross here and there.
1992’s Unforgiven was the point of major interest for both stars.
Speaking to EW about another iconic western, Open Range, in which Kostner was both an actor and director, he mentioned Clint Eastwood’s film as the dream project he really wanted to direct himself:
“I chased Unforgiven as a director for six years. So I’m not looking for everything to end rosy. I don’t have, like, a naive life,” he admitted.
While it would be interesting to see Costner’s version of the movie, it’s safe to say that it came out nearly perfect the way it was filmed under the careful direction of Eastwood himself. With a relatively tight budget of just over $14 million, the film managed to make $159 million at the box office and was a critical and commercial success.
Today, Unforgiven holds a 96% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 93% audience score to further prove its quality. The film was also recognized during its awards season and received several accolades, including Academy Awards nominations for Clint Eastwood in both Best Picture and Best Director.
If you have never seen Unforgiven, or if you want to revisit it as one of the classics of the genre, you can rent or buy it on Vudu, Apple TV, or Prime Video.