The West was once home to cowboys and gunfighters, but now their exploits live on only in dime novels. For the rest, there's smallpox and mud and noble avocations like hog farming that strain middle-aged bodies. Clint Eastwood's masterwork is a bitter meditation on the genre and his role within it, a revenger's lament for the domestic tranquility that remains forever out of reach. Featuring beautiful widescreen cinematography, studiously lived-in production design, and career-best turns from Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman.