MovieChat Forums > Unforgiven (1992) Discussion > Characters ranked by villainy

Characters ranked by villainy

posted 4 years ago by Pugnax (59)
4 replies | jump to latest

1. Schofield Kid - Excited to become a killer, values fame and fortune above the lives of others. Murders unarmed Quick Mike.

2. Bill Munny - Willing assassin. At first he is planning to kill people who deserve it so he can better care for his family. He continues on even after he finds out Delilah is not hurt nearly as bad as reported. Kills Little Bill out of revenge even though he was told Ned was unintentionally killed. Kills four or five innocent deputies out of self defense. Worst of all murders unarmed Skinny for the undignified manor he allowed Little Bill to display Ned's body.

3. English Bob - Willing assassin. His purported past history (Little Bill's version of the murder of Two Guns and his reputation for being a killer of "Chinamen") paints a dishonorable picture. His finger gunning the Chinese guys on the side of the road shows he doesn't value all human life. He seems motivated by fame (Beauchamp) and money.

4. Ned Logan - Willing assassin. Seems to be motivated by money and concern for his friend. Shoots at cowboy even after finding out the claims against them are greatly exaggerated. He realizes too late what they are doing is wrong and quits.

5. Strawberry Alice - Posts bounty for the murder of cowboys. One of which seems innocent and the other seems deserving of lesser punishment (IMO something much less than death and worse than a whipping - castration maybe).

6. Other working girls - Their contributions to the bounty caused the foreseeable murder of the cowboys.

7. Quick Mike - Vile drunken crime against Delilah is deserving of harsh punishment.

8. Little Bill Daggett - Guilty of denying justice to Delilah in favor of the more locally connected Skinny and of negligently causing the death of Ned. Seemed to be motivated by peace, power and fame (Beauchamp). I found his treatment of both English Bob and Bill Munny to be harsh but acceptable by the standards of their times (He correctly identified them as assassins and ran them out of town).

9. Skinny Dubois - Greedy. Seemed not to care about the women other than in how he could use them.

10. W.W. Beauchamp - Not villainous. Could maybe have foreseen how he was adding flame to the fire with his ability to make people famous (English Bob, Little Bill).

11. Davey Bunting - Not villainous. Somewhat tried to stop Quick Mike. Offered to give Delilah a pony out of guilt for Quick Mike's crime. Was not part of any criminal enterprise - just a working cowboy with a psychopathic coworker.

[–] strntz (12773) 4 years ago

There are no heros in Unforgiven, which is what makes it such a great movie. Still, we root for several villains because it's their story to which we are privy.

William Munny was a villain, reformed, and became a villain again. He ends up killing the sheriff and several deputies, so I guess that makes him the worst.. except for English Bob.

English Bob is a totally remorseless killer. Unlike Will who was going to kill those cowboys out of desperation, Bob was going to kill them just for money and perhaps pleasure. This is clear the way he points his finger like a gun and makes "pop" noises at passing Chinese men - alluding to his past work of killing Chinese rail road workers.

Quick Mike is a different kind of villain, who would actually knife a woman and permanently scar her for laughing at his short twinkie. I couldn't do that to an animal much less a human.

I put the rest on a lower level.

[–] Luis (187) 4 years ago

Pugnax,

Your number 2. The deputies were not "innocent." They tried to do their jobs, and pulled their guns out. Or tried to. Munny had no choice. It was self defense. But as I said, they were not innocent. Little Bill decided to take the law into his own hands. The way he went after English Bob when Bob had no weapons. The way he went after Munny when he was disarmed at the saloon. And the way he went after Ned.

The deputies turned guilty when they accepted Bill's treatment of his prisoners. Unarmed prisoners.

The only one that Munny shot that was completely innocent was Skinny. Sure he was greedy. Sure he did not care for his "workers." The way he treated Ned after his death? That was Bill's doing. Skinny would have no control over that.

[–] strntz (12773) 4 years ago

You're looking at this through 2021 eyes.

Sheriffs back then didn't have to worry about reading Miranda rights lest the case get thrown out. The fact is is that Little Bill was right on every point. Sure, he beat up Munny and Ned, but Munny was a hired assassin as were Ned and the Kid. English Bob was also a hired killer who killed Chinamen for money (and apparently sport as well).

You may be horrified to know this, but Little Bill's actions were not out of the ordinary for the times. He was for preserving law and order and his deputies (too many for such a small town IMO) did the same.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Little Bill is, without question, the most evil villain in the movie. He is a violent hypocrite.