Think about all the characters, they act out of their own desires. The cowboy with the knife was furious for humiliation, the prostitute was rewarded for the pain, the little Billy was sloppy for the sake of stability, the Scofield kid set off for pretense, William was for money, and Ned was for the old days. When they get or do not get their desire, they will turn around and walk away.
At first glance, there is no western element, but it is not. Closed town, sheriff, prostitute who offers bounty, killer who comes for money. In the end, William, who successfully killed himself and disappeared into the night, was alone in the back. This is a typical western film element. Therefore, it is obviously not an anti-type.
If you remember the American flag fluttering behind William when he turned his head around after the murder, you know that the United States has won again and the great hero has been born again. It's just that this time the story is about America itself. The Americans said in the "Declaration of Independence" that people have the right to defend their own property and the pursuit of happiness. When the government cannot guarantee these rights for you, you can rebel against the government and establish your own government. And all of this is based on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the people have the right to own weapons.
Therefore, on behalf of the American people, William killed the small town where guns were not allowed, and on behalf of the American people, William defended the public from being violated.
And everything is back to selfishness, selfishness is the basic attribute of human beings. William is a selfish man, and at the same time a heinous man. The film emphasizes this point from beginning to end-Claudia; her role is only to say that William is a person, not a murderer, even if he is full of blood debts, so William's victory is the victory of the American people.
Some people just don't understand this, such as William's mother-in-law.
View more about Unforgiven reviews
