Tai-ling Ises
November 06, 2013
Professor Donaldson
Unforgiven

Unforgiven is a movie about old western times. However it is not your typical movie about a damsel in distress and a cowboy hero defeating the bad guy and being glorified for doing so. This movie dispels our beliefs about the melodramatic story line that is embedded in our minds. William Munny, the main character of the movie, is a pig farmer who was once a cold blooded killer. He would kill men, women, and children and was known to be ruthless in his ways. With a history like Munny’s not many people would consider him to be a hero. He is nothing but a killer. William changed his ways after he met his wife and let his days of drinking and killing behind. His wife died of small pox and William does not fall back on old ways instead he continues to keep a promise to his wife and not engage in certain behavior. But that changes when he is approached by a young man who seeks his help in assassinating two cowboys and is offered half of the thousand dollar reward.
The young man told William Munny that they were going to assassinate the two cowboys for cutting up a woman’s face and breasts and fingers. This was an exaggeration, but still something that Munny thought fit to assassinate a man for. Though this may seem like a heroic thing to do, most people would disagree seeing as how the woman that was cut was in fact a prostitute. This woman was most definitely in distress but not someone many people would feel sorry for.
Most melodramas have an aspect of romance in them. However in” Unforgiven” there is not a hint of romance. When Munny