Redemption: 3 Western Movies That Teach Us About It
CowboySpirit.TV - The Western Movie genre represents a unique period in US history. As a nation, we were struggling to heal from the horrors of the Civil War, and many moved west to create better lives for themselves and their families. The US Territories represented an opportunity to live with fewer rules and more autonomy, creating a independence without anarchy. Many men went West looking for the chance to start again; western movies tell their stories.
There are so many excellent western movies that center around redemption, but three modern classics are especially noteworthy; “Unforgiven”, “Open Range”, and “True Grit” (either version).
Unforgiven begins with a prostitute's mutilation by one her customers when she refuses to perform a sexual act. When the local law does not do enough to punish the attacker, her coworkers put a bounty on him, attracting an young gunslinger and retired killer. The retired killer reformed for his young wife, becoming a farmer and family man, but after her death faces fact that he is a poor farmer and decides to take one last job, that of tracking down the prostitute's assailant and bringing him in for justice.
Open Range tells the tale of four men who “free graze” a cattle herd through open country, running into problems when an aggressive, greedy cattle rancher attacks their group, killing one and seriously wounding another. The cattle baron threatens the remaining two by ordering them to leave even though free grazing is legal. The two men refuse to be intimidated by the wealthy landowner and state their intent to remain and graze their cattle on the open land. The ensuing showdown is fierce, graphic, yet poignant as it is about men who are tired of running and decide to take a stand for their beliefs, regardless of the outcome.
True Grit is the story of a young girl who goes into Indian Territory to find the man who murdered her father and force him to atone for his crime. She seeks out a man with "Grit" and is informed that her man is a Federal Marshall with a shady past but unparalleled toughness and tenacity. Despite serious personal consequences, she ultimately triumphs.
Each story requires sacrifice by the central character(s) and the ability to come to terms with the results. Many great western movies are about redemption for someone flawed but essentially decent, and ultimately an underdog's victory over tyranny.