In Big Whiskey, Wyoming, a cowboy had badly scarred a prostitute. Where the prostitutes wanted the sheriff, Little Bill Dagget (Gene Hackman), to hang the two cowboys, he opted to have them pay restitution. To the brothel owner, not the mutilated woman. Infuriated, the women pooled their money to hire gunmen to kill the cowboys.
William Munny (Clint Eastwood) is a poor Kansas farmer with two kids. His wife died nearly three years ago. It is a hard life. While trying to separate diseased pigs from healthy ones, a rider appears. The Schofield Kid is off to collect a bounty in Wyoming. He doesn't want to go alone. Will was a terror in his younger days, a violent drunkard who killed without compunction. "I'm not that man anymore," he explains, declining the offer. However, he soon reconsiders and rides off to enlist his old buddy, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman). The pair find the Schofield Kid on the way to Wyoming.
English Bob (Richard Harris) is known as the Duke of Death, at least that is the title of the dime novel on his adventures in the West. He arrives in Big Whiskey to collect the bounty but soon discovers an old acquaintance: Little Bill. It is far from a happy reunion.
There are no heroes. The Old West is a brutal place where self-interest outweighs all. The tales told by Little Bill, Ned Logan, and William Munny paint a picture of violence and murder. These are not good men, though they may be men of their time and place.
Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment