One of the films that inspired Unforgiven is Once Upon a Time in the West. I've said this recently, so forgive me if you've seen me say it before, but I came to Once Upon a Time in the West through an appreciation for Sergio Leone based on the Fistful of Dollars/Yojimbo connection. You've seen Yojimbo, surely, as a film student. The next step is the Leone spaghetti western tribute to Kurosawa (Fistful of Dollars), and then Once Upon a Time in the West. It adds a whole new dimension of appreciation to see the films as having something meaningful to say, which I didn't believe until about my mid twenties. That being said, I don't rent a lot of westerns or rush out to see many (although I did rush out to see Unforgiven on its opening weekend, but I came to Clint Eastwood through Sergio Leone).
But if you have time and love Once Upon A Time in America, try Once Upon A Time in the West once more.
Peace.
In the end the Earth just keeps on turning every day, and no one knows when it's going to stop, or why it's heading for the Sun. (c) Roy
Language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity. (c) Gustave Flaubert
We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars. (c) Oscar Wilde
~ ~ ~ All meetings end in separation All acquisition ends in dispersion All life ends in death - The Buddha