The Big Picture

Clint Eastwood’s Western film Unforgiven is considered one of the greatest of all time, winning an Oscar for Best Picture. The lead role of William Munny was almost played by John Malkovich, which would have made the film very different. The film showcases Eastwood’s transformation as Munny seeks revenge for his friend’s death, resulting in a climactic ending.

When bringing up the topic of Clint Eastwood’s Western films, the majority of movie fans are going to point directly to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as the one he’ll always be remembered for. Of course, there are many others such as A Fistful of Dollars and Pale Rider, but there is one that seems to push through generation after generation as not only one of Eastwood’s best, but also one of the greatest Western films of all time. That movie is 1992’s Unforgiven, which Eastwood directed and starred in. What some people may not know, and may find surprising, is that his lead role of William Munny was almost taken by John Malkovich. No doubt, that would’ve made this classic a much different film.

Not only did Unforgiven win an Oscar for Best Picture, but Eastwood also won a golden statue for directing the film. However, many people don’t know that the script was originally in the hands of Francis Ford Coppola up until 1985 (when he lost the rights to it). Again, this begs the question, what kind of film would this have been if it had remained in Coppola’s possession, and would it have been received as well as it did? Both fans and critics went bonkers over Eastwood’s directorial feats and performance, but if Coppola was in the driver’s seat, not only would it have been a completely different-feeling film, but the lead role would have featured Malkovich’s face.

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Who Is William Munny?

When fans are first introduced to William Munny, the character this genre-altering Western film centers around, he is far from what anyone would consider a man to be feared. Known as a ruthless gunslinger back in his day, Munny is now an older widower trying to make ends meet to take care of his ranch and children. Also a notorious alcoholic, this now-righteous man has given up the drink and is focused on doing what’s right. However, in the town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming, a prostitute is disfigured by a cowboy named Quick Mike (David Mucci) because he thought she was laughing at his performance in bed. This woman’s coworkers/friends believe she is due retribution for this unjust attack. That’s what snags Munny’s attention.

The women put together a bounty reward for the successful killing of Quick Mike, which is enough to get Munny to consider the task, as he can surely use the financial support. Along the way to Big Whiskey, Munny teams up with a young, naive cowboy named The Schofield Kid (Jamez Woolvett), as well as Munny’s old partner, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman). Together they head to Big Whiskey to take care of business and collect the reward. However, standing in between them and the riches is Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett, portrayed by the great Gene Hackman. Munny’s team is also unaware of another bounty hunter looking to make a buck, and that is the notorious English Bob (Richard Harris).

It doesn’t take long for the sheriff to swoop in and take English Bob out of the equation in the way of a brutal beating and arrest. You see, for Little Bill (who is one of the best portrayed Western villains in film), he’s the man in charge and decides what’s what. He is not OK with these women putting up a bounty reward for any gunslinger to come in and eliminate one of his men. So when word comes around that William Munny and his two partners are now in Big Whiskey to make an attempt to collect this bounty, Little Bill makes sure to stand in their way. If fans thought that Eastwood’s character was an emotional enigma up until now, this is the point in the film where Munny takes a significant turn.

With John Malkovich, We May Have Lost An Iconic Western Moment
Image Via Warner Bros.

It’s at this moment of the film where Eastwood begins to show audiences why he was born for this role, and why John Malcovich was not. While his two partners are preoccupied, Munny waits on a barstool patiently. This is the moment Little Bill introduces himself, knowing exactly who this old-timer really is. This results in yet another brutal beating, this time with Munny facing Little Bill’s wrath. Despite being badly beaten within an inch of his life, Munny still manages to help assassinate the cowboy and collect the reward. It seems as if, despite the horrendous beat down he endured, William Munny is going to be able to bring some financial aid back to his ranch and family. But things don’t go exactly to plan. In fact, far from it.

William Munny comes to find that his longtime partner Ned has been captured by Little Bill and murdered. In fact, as a warning to any other bounty hunter looking to ever come into Big Whiskey, Ned’s body is propped up and displayed in front of the saloon. This leads directly into the film’s most climactic moment, when William Munny completely transforms back into his former self: a booze-guzzling, gunslinging outlaw who will take out anyone who steps in his path. For many Western fans, this is the defining moment of Clint Eastwood’s career in this genre as his character walks right into the lion’s den and achieves the ultimate revenge for his friend’s death.

What If Coppola and Malkovich Had Made ‘Unforgiven’?
Image via Lionsgate

Unforgiven is one of those films that can be watched over and over again simply to observe the subtle, yet eventually complete transformation of Eastwood’s character from start to finish. He received a well-deserved nomination for best actor in a film that virtually dominated that year’s Academy Awards. It’s crazy to think that Eastwood was almost not involved in the making of the movie, with Coppola having many years to try and make the production happen having much less success than his daughter, Sofia Coppola, when it comes to the Western genre. Coppola explained that he was never able to get the financial backing he needed for the production to move forward, but that doesn’t mean he hadn’t already zeroed in on a lead actor, John Malkovich.

Malkovich sat down with Coppola and was offered the role of William Munny before the project then fizzled out. Malkovich has expressed that he was secretly delighted that the movie was not made because he believed that it would have been a total failure if he wore the boots of the main character. Up until that point, Malkovich had been taking on different roles, most notably starring in the period piece Dangerous Liaisons, none of which were anywhere near a Western genre film. This is probably why it was a surprise Coppola offered him the role, and surely it would’ve been a surprise for fans if it had actually happened.

As we all now know, Eastwood ended up directing and starring in the film Unforgiven, and the outcome couldn’t have been better. For plenty of Western fans, the movie is a remote dropper whenever it comes on, with Eastwood’s character, William Munny, fascinating to watch every time he appears on the screen. The climactic ending has to be one of the best 10 minutes of any Western movie. It’s interesting to think how different the movie would’ve been with John Malkovich in that part. The combination of his different energy mixed with the completely different directorial style of Francis Ford Coppola could have arguably made the film subpar. Malkovich and Eastwood ended up collaborating a short time later in the 1993 thriller In the Line of Fire.