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When it comes to the best Hollywood movies of the last 50 years, Westerns have punched above their weight, leading to classics like Tombstone and Unforgiven. The 1990s emerged as one of the most versatile eras the genre has ever seen, alternating between horror, contemporary stories, steampunk, and adventure. However, it's in its signature gunslinger movies that audiences found two of the greatest ever made.
Since its 1993 release, Tombstone has earned its place at the top of the Western genre, in no small part thanks to stars Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. As easy as it would be to insist the movie was the king of its decade, one crucial Oscar-winning masterpiece has it beat. A phenomenal send-off for his tenure as a gunslinger icon, Clint Eastwood's 1992 anti-revenge movie still surpasses it in almost every way.
Tombstone and Unforgiven Both Reshaped the Ailing Western
In 1990, Kevin Costner's success with Dances With Wolves proved there was still life in the Western, even as every major studio had given up on the genre. The '80s had its share of modest success stories, but nothing on par with the fantasy, adventure, and sci-fi classics that made it a golden era of family entertainment. Where his movie was a grand epic, the next few years would see the comeback of the gunslinger story, as embodied in Clint Eastwood's Unforgivenand George P. Cosmatos' Tombstone.
Unforgiven tells the story of William Munny, a former gunfighter who, in older age, has become cynical and regretful as he cares for his children following his wife's death. When an aspiring bounty hunter offers him a job, he's forced to get back in the saddle one last time, realizing his violent nature might not be as dead and buried as he thought. What follows is a collision with a brutal sheriff, one who means to defend his peace any way he can. Tombstone, on the other hand, follows America's most legendary lawman, Wyatt Earp, as he and his brothers make enemies of the Cochise Cowboy Gang. Both explore revenge and frontier justice, but in competing ways.
These two films went in radically different directions in their approaches to the Western. Eastwood favored genre deconstruction, crafting a masterpiece that subverted the Hollywood image of the frontier. It stripped away all the romanticism present in even recent stories at the time, like Silverado and Young Guns. His vision was a story that critiqued the usual celebration of violence present that, as it happens, is often on display in Tombstone. That project embraces the mythical view of America's rugged past, building up its heroes as larger-than-life figures. The first is a brutal tale of regret and human nature, the second is the lionization of the very kind of personal vengeance of which Munny is a cautionary tale.
Clint Eastwood Had More to Say With Unforgiven
Where Tombstone was created more as a conventional action story in the West, Unforgiven was something so much more profound. In stark contrast to Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell riding the highs of their careers, Eastwood saw his movie as the conclusion of his entire gunslinger persona. This had defined his career for three full decades, from the 'Dollars Trilogy' to The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider. It was as much a statement as anything else, both an expression of anti-violence and genre deconstruction, as well as a self-aware reflection of what made him an icon. His story isn't meant to be anything less than a revision to a genre in desperate need of reinvention. As it happened, his work was so strong that it effectively killed the gunslinger genre.
While making Tombstone, the cast and crew actually had every reason to doubt its success. Not only were they locked in a heated competition with Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp, but the production had its original director exit, forcing George P. Cosmatos to step in. This even led to rumors that Russell himself was a de facto director on set, taking charge of key scenes. While they did have a good script to work with, it wasn't really until the release that they realized the movie was great, but even then, it was only a minor box office success. Unforgiven, however, was one of the biggest hits of 1992 and earned four Oscars, both rare feats for the genre at the time.
One is a fun popcorn flick, the other a career-defining masterwork, and it shows. Tombstone is a fun picture, but most of what people love about it comes down to its memorable dialogue more than to its thematic storytelling. Kevin Jarre and the director both embrace the idea of it being closer to a shoot-'em-up period piece and buddy adventure. It was only over time that it earned its iconic status, emerging as an audience favorite once the new century was underway. With Unforgiven, Eastwood masterfully executes a warning about the dangers of violence, injustice, and revenge, and it just gets better with time.
Clint Eastwood Crafted the Ultimate Anti-Western
Anti-Westerns are almost as old as the genre itself, movies created with a more somber, realistic, and jaded look at the frontier. While Tombstone has its darker moments, it loves the idea that men like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday live up to the legends. Unforgiven is under no such illusion, actually relishing deconstructing the story through the perspective of characters like Little Bill, Munny, and Ned Logan. These are men who have seen human nature at its worst and have no stomach for it anymore. While many miss the message Eastwood wanted to send, it made it a audience and critical favorite for good reason. The director understood what it meant for his own legacy, and it shows.
The genre has always made plenty of stories to appeal to as many people as possible, from adventure and crime to romance and war. In 1992, Clint Eastwood turned in one of the most meaningful and timeless Western stories ever made, making Unforgiven the only movie of its decade that beats seeing Val Kilmer in Tombstone.
