Question about Munny


Was he really a killer of women and children, or was that just a prairie legend/exaggeration of an admittedly ruthless drunkard?
I kind of got the feeling from the finale that Munny simply embraced the legend about him and used it as a fear tactic to intimidate others.
The film definitely alludes to him being a rotten bastard in his youth, and he admits to problems related to drinking that escalated into violence. But how much of it is legend and how much is truth?
Any thoughts?

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The rumors grew over the years, if you paid attention that was the whole theme of the movie. For example the two villains, it was said by mid movie that they even cut her tits off, and we know that didn’t actually happen. And Bob, look how his rep grew based on rumors and gossip over the years, and how the west was a more vicious land because of it. Peoples reps kept growing by here say.

Was Munny a vicious killer? Sure when he was drunk, and I’m sure he killed women and children along the way. But when he was sober he was a functioning human being with a conscience. But I’m sure he killed less people along the way than what his stories made him out to be. I’m sure at times he displayed cowardice and killed people when they were at a disadvantage Bob did.

Did he embrace his rep you asked? I didn’t take it to be that all. When he was sober he clearly suffered inside for his violent drunken past as he beautifully portrayed. But when he was flat out drunk he became a stone cold killer if crossed and would fight to the end as he showed in the final scene. When he was drunk he had one vision and that was to kill Little Bill at all costs and kill the saloon owner who laid our Morgan Freeman on his porch. You saw Munny turning as he was drinking and the prostitute was telling him what took place. There was no being proud of what he was or used his rep to his advantage, he didn’t think that way, he just owned who he actually was and didn’t care once he was inebriated

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Was he really a killer of women and children, or was that just a prairie legend/exaggeration of an admittedly ruthless drunkard?


Yes, he really was. It wasn't legend, it was fact. He admits his sins.

So why are we talking about this? Because it's William Munny's story we are watching. If this same exact story was told from Little Bill's perspective, we'd be sad for Little Bill being killed (along with half his deputies) by a known killer of women and children who came into his town as a hired assassin.

But we see all of Munny's story, from his being a no good scoundrel and killer of women and children turned into a good, decent, and pious man for the love of a good woman. We also see him as a widower trying to raise two children into good humans who decides to take a paying job killing two men who butchered a woman so he can feed and otherwise provide a better life for his kids.

We like Munny, and we still don't hate him when he flips after his best friend is whipped to death and he takes revenge on the sheriff and deputies. That's the brilliance of this story

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I think you are right.

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