Rating of
2/4
It ain't bad, but it ain't special either.
memento_mori - wrote on 06/22/13
I simply do not understand why people love this movie.
The movie was okay. It had many flaws, unlikable characters and boring scene after boring scene.
I understand what Clint Eastwood was trying to do. He chose a different route and made a less-than-action-packed Western.
I can't relate to the characters at all. We're supposed to sympathize with William Munney (especially in the last few scenes), but I can't bring myself to like him and want him to succeed, especially when he has such a cruel and unforgivable (haha, Unforgiv-able) past and character.
English Bob is an extremely useless character. He's only there so that Gene Hackman can shout a few insults at him, which lend no perspective or bring the story further.
Ned was fine, but again, I didn't sympathize with him or think he was the big character because he had nothing to do. He was basically just a tag-along. The Kid was annoying, but I loved the scene with his confession.
What I loved was the direction and the dialogue. Clint Eastwood is good at filming action scenes. The film is filled with many long, gorgeous wide-angle shots and there are no quick-cuts, so I also praise the editing.
I applaud Eastwood for taking a risk and making it dark, but it was a little far-fetched.
In conclusion, I can't say this movie was bad, but it wasn't special either and surely didn't deserve 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and being brand-marked as one of the best Westerns of all time, especially when its main underlying tone is… nothing.
