MovieChat Forums > Unforgiven (1992) Discussion > My opinion is Little Bill created the me...

My opinion is Little Bill created the mess

posted 8 years ago by Jay_Jay1234
12 replies | jump to latest

I feel it was all Little Bill’s fault that the entire situation occurred. Everybody’s actions are their own (William, Ned, Bob, Skinny, etc…) but Bill put this whole thing in motion. If he would have come down harder on the Cowboys, and it’s my opinion he was too lenient, the whole chain of events thereafter would not have occurred.

Bill punished the Cowboys by making them give Skinny horses to even out the money Skinny was presumed to lose with Delilah’s inability to work. That’s just restitution. What about the punishment for the actual crime? Even one of the ladies said something to the effect “You’re not even going to whip him Bill?”

If Bill would have levied some sort of punishment for the actual crime, I feel the chain of events afterwards would never have occurred. I felt Bill, if given the chance, would have gone back in time and reconsidered the way he punished the cowboys. Since he can’t go back in time, he was stuck with his initial decision. Going back on his decision after the fact would have been a bad choice (put in question his ability to Sheriff). In short, Bill messed up badly and caused his own demise, and the demise of many others (including the cowboys he was too lenient with).

[–] andersb-36022 8 years ago

Agreed on all points. Imho this movie wasn't very good. The story wanders at times and Freeman's character & the Schofield kid are miscast. I enjoyed the other actors roles but the outlaws were one-dimensional and seemed like extras not to be paid much attention to. The storming of their hideout was too predictable too. Clint needed to put some curveballs in there to shake things up.

[–] seanb-45703 8 years ago

They were cast perfectly. I don't understand people who state things like this as a fact. It's one of the most highly regarded westerns and films overall in the last few decades.

[–] strntz 8 years ago

I don't understand people who state things like this as a fact. It's one of the most highly regarded westerns and films overall in the last few decades.

Not saying the poster is guilty of what I'm about to say (he may actually believe that), but a lot of people like the feeling of superiority that going against convention brings, not matter how fallacious it is.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men ~ F Douglass

[–] Juschill (809) 4 years ago

This

[–] sanders_mike25 8 years ago

I thought Little Bill was more than fair in his treatment of the Cowboys. The girl wasn't killed and it's not like the cowboys in town would care about the scars when all they're doing is screwing her for the hell of it. She was still pretty. If anything, it was her sister whores that set everything in motion.

[–] Jay_Jay1234 8 years ago

I thought Little Bill was more than fair in his treatment of the Cowboys.

He was fair in the sense that they had to pay restitution to Skinny. I don’t think he was fair in the overall punishment to deter this behavior from happening to the girls again. Word of mouth could be, it’s okay to hurt the girls, just don’t leave a mark. That was Alice’s whole argument. She said something to the effect of them being able to ride us like animals but it’s not okay for them to treat us as such.

[–] BeaSouth (3495) 5 years ago

Exactly. Think of it this way: the cowboys committed a terrible crime; violently slashing a young woman’s face. It resulted in terrible pain and disfigured her permanently. Rather than provide her with justice, Little Bill rewarded her abusive boss with valuable horses. Instead of protecting the truly helpless victim, Little Bill let the cowboys go and ensured Skinny made a profit from the violence. The one person who deserved equity and justice was the only one who did not get it.

[–] strntz 8 years ago

If Bill would have levied some sort of punishment for the actual crime, I feel the chain of events afterwards would never have occurred.

Yeah, but the movie would have been 15 minutes long and boring.

One of the subtle points in this film was that the ho's were treated like property. Skinny would have indeed incurred a monetary loss, but that was the extent of the damages as far as Little Bill was concerned. I'm not sure that was an inaccurate portrayal of how prostitutes were treated back then. Heck, I'm not so sure Quick Mike would have been in that much trouble if that was his own wife!

Anyway, how Little Bill handled that situation is probably how most lawmen in small towns out West would have handled it.

Is very bad to steal Jobu's rum. Is very bad.

[–] micirisi 8 years ago

One of the subtle points in this film was that the ho's were treated like property.

Except for being subtle I totally agree. Little Bill satisfied the owner of the damaged property while fining the offender(s) some horses. Little Bill was the judge, jury and enforcer of this deal. Things were fine until the ho's got uppity.

He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.

[–] Jay_Jay1234 8 years ago

Yeah, but the movie would have been 15 minutes long and boring.

Of course, but he didn’t so we have a movie to talk about.

I'm not sure that was an inaccurate portrayal of how prostitutes were treated back then.

I agree with you. I also think it was an accurate portrayal of how prostitutes would take matters into their own hands as well.

Heck, I'm not so sure Quick Mike would have been in that much trouble if that was his own wife!

I think you are right. Some of the things I read were that wives had no say or recourse for anything the husband does. I believe prostitutes had more rights than wives.
Petrik found a large number of court cases in Helena in which prostitutes brought suit against one another to "settle petty squabbles among them that could not be resolved by the Tenderloin's leaders" or to "challenge men who assaulted, robbed, or threatened them." In half of the cases involving a prostitute's complaint against a man, "the judge or jury found for the female complainants."

http://www.alternet.org/story/148327/how_19th_century_prostitutes_were_among_the_freest,_wealthiest,_most_educated_women_of_their_time

[–] redban (6645) 4 years ago

Even when he was about to whip them, the Madam says, “A whipping? That’s it?”

The ladies would have put that bounty no matter what, unless Bill kills the cowboys. He could have beat them as bad as he wanted; the ladies wouldn’t be content.

And Bill couldn’t kill them. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t a fair punishment for that crime. Plus, only Quick Mike deserves serious punishment. Davey was the good one who didn’t deserve it.

Lastly - you talk as if giving away the horses wasn’t a big deal. The movie doesn’t explain this point, but it’s viable that it was a lot to give up in this setting.

[–] strntz (12736) 4 years ago

Lastly - you talk as if giving away the horses wasn’t a big deal. The movie doesn’t explain this point, but it’s viable that it was a lot to give up in this setting.

Yeah, but he made the boys give up the string of ponies to Skinny, who Little Bill felt was actually the aggrieved party here, not the girl who was actually brutally assaulted and permanently scarred. She got no justice. That's what everyone is complaining about, and rightfully so.