Unforgiven (1992) is a modern day western directed by Clint Eastwood. It is produced in the early 1990's, in a time where our nation is fighting with evil leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noreaga. America is also in a fight to rid such countries as Poland, Germany, and China of communism. America had just resolved the cold war with Russia a few years earlier, and was entering a period of trying to bring democracy world wide. The early 90's also saw a period of corruption. There were many cases being reported of police brutality throughout the country. One case, for instance, was the Rodney King beating, where an innocent bystander was brutally beaten by misinformed law enforcement.
      In this movie, William Munny (Clint Eastwood) former notorious killer who has now settled down on a small farm and started a family. After the tragic death of his wife, he is left to take care of the farm and his children. In a tiny frontier town run by a sheriff named Little Bill (Gene Hackman), two cowboys go into a local bar and whore house for the night. One of the women makes a joke about the size of the cowboy's "tool" and he begins to beat her and cut her up with a knife. Little Bill is a corrupt sheriff, who runs the town his way and his way only. It ends up that Little Bill denies justice to the prostitutes and basically lets the two cowboys go, only making them give up some horses. The prostitutes decide to put out a bounty for anyone who will come and kill the two cowboys that cut up the girl. The corruptness of Little Bill is seen again when a guy named English Bob, though in never directly says he is there for the bounty, arrives into town. Without even committing a crime Little Bill beats him up and sends him on his way.
      When William hears of this injustice, he decides to take one last job, teaming up with his old partner Ned (Morgan Freeman) and another young gun slinger. Again after Little Bill beats up William and Kills Ned for no reason at all, the anger comes out of William. William and the young gun slinger kill the two cowboys. William then goes back to town to seek revenge for his friend Ned and rid the town of an evil sheriff, eventually killing Little Bill in a shootout.
      This western is very different from most westerns. In most westerns, you have your good guys and your bad guys and typically the good guys are the law. Well in this case, the roles are reversed. The sheriff of the town is depicted as the bad guy, while William Munny, who was at one time in his life a "meaner than hell cold blooded killer," is depicted as the good guy. In most cases, the bad guy is causing all the violence, but in this film, the corrupt sheriff is the one causing all the violence. Anytime someone from out of town shows up, without question Little Bill (the sheriff) beats him up. This movie connects with the early 90's because of the fight to rid the world of evil leaders and the evilness of communism. Another way it connects with the time it was written is with the corruptness of the law enforcement and police brutality (Such as the Rodney King beating). If this movie was written 30 years earlier the issue of race would come into play. In the 60's they would not have cast an African American (Morgan Freeman) as one of the lead roles.