This Gritty, Oscar-Winning Clint Eastwood Film Is Now Streaming on Prime Video
A film that languished in development hell for decades before garnering eight Oscar nominations (and winning four) has landed on Prime Video. That’s right, Clint Eastwood’s celebrated revisionist western Unforgiven is now available to stream on Prime Video.
The setup for this gritty Clint Eastwood western is this:
When prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) is disfigured by a pair of cowboys in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her fellow brothel workers post a reward for their murder, much to the displeasure of Sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman), who doesn’t allow vigilantism in his town. Two groups of gunfighters, one led by aging former bandit William Munny (Clint Eastwood), and the other by the florid English Bob (Richard Harris), come to collect the reward, clashing with each other and the sheriff.
The film has a fascinating backstory. David Webb Peoples (who also wrote Bladerunner) penned the script for Unforgiven in the 1970s. The screenplay began circulating around Hollywood shortly after completion but remained unmade until finally heading into production with the Dirty Harry actor at the helm in the early ‘90s. Prior to Eastwood’s involvement, Francis Ford Coppola tried to get the picture off the ground but was unable to raise the requisite funds in the time allotted.
Though it took a while to get off the ground, Unforgiven enjoyed a rather successful theatrical bow that lasted close to a year. Throughout its lengthy exhibition, the picture grossed $159.2 million (globally). The flick is (naturally) ‘certified fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critical approval rating of 96%.
Interestingly enough, Siskel and Ebert were among the film’s detractors and criticized the picture for being too long. With that said, Ebert gave the film an otherwise favorable critique and eventually included Unforgiven in his ‘The Great Movies’ list.
Also worth mentioning, in 2004, the flick was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. Quite the honor, indeed.
The acclaimed picture’s star-studded cast includes director Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris.
If you’re up to take in this celebrated effort, make your way over to Prime Video and give it a whirl. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Well, that’s all we have for you at present. Stay tuned to Dread Central in the near future for more exciting updates on which films are coming and going from your favorite streaming services. If you’d like to discuss the collective merits of Clint Eastwood’s impressive screen career further, come find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
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