Unforgiven 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
Going back and reviewing a classic film such as UNFORGIVEN is a tough task, mainly because I constantly find myself slinking into hyperbole. But with UNFORGIVEN, the praise the film has received is well justified since labeling it the greatest Western ever made is true today just as it was when the film first came out 25 years ago. This is Clint Eastwood at his finest; taking everything he had learned from working with great directors as well as his own experiences and putting everything in one masterful film in a genre that feels tailor made for him. UNFORGIVEN is truly a masterpiece.
The film succeeds for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that it might have captured career-best performances from three of the greatest actors in Hollywood history. Morgan Freeman’s dominance as the wise-old friend probably started in 1989’s GLORY, but he firmly established himself as a dominating supporting actor with UNFORGIVEN. He adds a humor and a humanity to the film that Eastwood and Hackman couldn’t provide given their characters. But as good as Freeman was, Gene Hackman might have one-upped him with his twistedly evil villain Little Bill Daggett. Bill is a villain that could have easily drifted into comic book villain territory with a lesser actor, but Hackman nails every line, giving him a believability that the audience needed in order for the third act to pay off.
But of course the real star of the film is Clint Eastwood, who took a lifetime of starring in Westerns and working with the great Western directors and poured his experiences into UNFORGIVEN. This film is not something a first-time director could have pulled off; it needed someone with Eastwood’s experience and abilities behind and in front of the camera. I’ve never felt that playing a cowboy was very challenging for actors, but directing a Western seems very difficult, which is probably why so many directors struggle when they get into Western territory. So even though Eastwood was great in front of the camera, I find myself more and more impressed with what he did behind the lens.
THE SEARCHERS, THE WILD BUNCH and UNFORGIVEN are probably the three greatest Westerns ever made, but for my money, UNFORGIVEN stands slightly above the others. With some incredible performances, a great story, beautiful cinematography and a masterful directing job from Clint Eastwood, I question whether or not we’ll ever get a Western this great again.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: Reviewing new 4K titles usually boils down to: is the film better than the Blu-ray and is the digital transfer sharp, bright, etc. But catalog titles are a different beast because while I always scream that the home video presentation should mimic the director’s vision, sometimes that means a transfer that, on the surface, might appear less than some other transfers. Such is the case with UNFORGIVEN. Supposedly, this transfer was approved by Clint Eastwood, so this is clearly the ideal presentation according to the director himself. But this is not the most pristine transfer you’ll see and I fear some people are going to be disappointed with it because it’s not as crystal clear as some of the newer titles out there. That’s not fair on many levels, but it’s also true because UNFORGIVEN doesn’t look as “bright” as I’m sure people might be hoping. However, it still looks fantastic for a 25 year-old film and I imagine this is the best the film ever will or ever has looked. The vast Western landscapes are slightly more bold than on the Blu-ray and the night scenes seem to have a more refined quality to them. Personally, I think the 4K presentation looks wonderful, but I would caution anyone looking for a reference quality disc to show off to their friends that this is not that disc.
Audio: There’s an upgraded DTS track on the 4K disc that is a definite improvement over anything we’ve heard before.
This title was reviewed using a Samsung UBD-K8500 with a Sony XBR75X850C TV.
The 4K UHD does not contain any exclusive features (it does have the commentary track), but it does include a Blu-ray of the film, which includes all of the special features from the previous release.
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