In the 1960s, Clint Eastwood was seen as a quintessential Western actor for films and shows like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Rawhide, A Fistful of Dollars, and For a Few Dollars More. But Eastwood’s 1992 film Unforgiven, which he also directed, put the actor on the map as an iconic filmmaker. Unforgiven, which won four Oscars in 1993, will stream on Paramount+ starting April 1.
The film won Eastwood his first Best Director Academy Award and also took home the Best Picture Oscar. Eastwood was nominated for his role in the film, portraying William Munny, a gunfighter known for his history of violence, who is trying to change his ways. The late Gene Hackman took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett.
A Box Office Smash
The film was a huge hit, earning nearly $160 million worldwide against its modest budget of $14.4 million. It also boasts a stellar 96% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It also stars Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Anna Thomson, and Saul Rubinek.
In Unforgiven, the movie starts with a cowboy attacking a prostitute, upset she is mocking him. After the brother owner detains the cowboy and his friend, the owner wants to be compensated. Hackman’s Sheriff Daggett punishes the cowboy, but very lightly, so in response, the prostitutes gather enough money to put a bounty on the heads of the cowboys.
Then, the audience is introduced to Eastwood’s William Munney, who, along with Morgan Freeman’s Ned Logan, and a young bounty hunter played by Jaimz Woolvett, pursue the bounty placed on the cowboys’ heads.
More Good News for Eastwood Fans
April is proving to be a good month for fans of Eastwood and his iconic movies, as three of his most famous films will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Digital for the first time on April 29 in celebration of Eastwood’s 54-year relationship with Warner Bros. Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Pale Rider will get the 4K Ultra HD and Digital treatment. Dirty Harry debuted in 1971 and starred Eastwood as Harry Callahan, assigned to pay extortion money to a serial killer. The April 29 4K UHD release will contain special features that include the brand new “Generations and Dirty Harry” and “Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry.”
Two Eastwood Westerns to get the 4K UHD Treatment
In The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), the western follows Eastwood’s titular character, a farmer-turned-soldier, who is out to avenge his family’s deaths in the last days of the Civil War. Two new special features will be included on the physical release, including: “The Cinematography of an Outlaw: Crafting Josey Wales, “ and “An Outlaw and an Antihero.”
Pale Rider (1985) marks its 40th anniversary this year and was also produced and directed by Eastwood, who stars as The Preacher, who rides into a small California town during the gold rush and finds himself in a dispute between a group of prospectors and a mining syndicate. The special features on Pale Rider include: “The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set” and “Painting the Preacher: Bruce Surtees and Pale Rider.”