Unforgiven Violence Quotes

Mike's comment to Delilah is one of the first audible sentences we hear in the film, and foreshadows the violence that will appear throughout the film. Bill will "brand" gun-toting guys like English Bob and Will with his justice, for example, and Dave will get killed while branding a steer.

Violence, it seems, came naturally to Will, who never had any "weak nerve nor fear" and was the "meanest goddamn son of a b**** alive." We learn more about this as the film progresses, but Will is unique in that he is capable of violence without really being bothered it. He is "cold as the snow." He might regret things, but he doesn't show true remorse.

This is the first of many boasts from the Kid, who talks a big game and acts like he's a violent killer. Ned and Will don't believe him, and the Kid learns a tough lesson later: being a "damn killer" is not a good life, and it wreaks havoc on one's conscience.

Little Bill resorts to violence in order to prevent violence. That's his logic here. Violence is his way of talking, of communicating to would-be bounty hunters that "there ain't no whores' gold" in Big Whiskey. The irony here, of course, is that Little Bill himself is a huge "villain."

Bill hits the nail on the head. Yes, it's hard to shoot when you're being shot at, but the real truth here is "it ain't so easy to shoot a man." Killing isn't as easy as lots of movies make it seem, and Unforgiven explores just how ethically difficult murder is.

Bill seems legitimately excited about the prospect of hurting Ned "bad." This is one of several clues that Bill might be some of psychotic masochist, a lover of violence.

Okay, either Will doesn't know what to say when people like the Kid are crying, or he really just doesn't care. There's something coldly understated in these comments. All Will can say is that "killing a man" is a "hell of a thing"? This seems so detached, so surgical, and so inhuman.

The Kid here proves he's not like Will. He gives up his gun, which is as good as a statement about non-violence as there is. He could have kept the gun and not used it, but it sounds like he'd rather not have it at all.

This is Will's most explicit statement about his violent past. He doesn't seem to care one way or other, and he simply admits that he has killed just about everything. The fact that Little Bill is now on the list, so to speak, suggests that Will is still okay with violence.