How do the filmmakers address the theme of violence in the motion picture, Unforgiven?

Unforgiven is known as being an antiviolence film, although no one involved with the film went into the project with that specific purpose or platform in mind. However, in the end, the film can be seen as carrying an antiviolence message. The script demonstrates that violence may seem to take care of some problems in the short run, but over the long haul, nothing will really change.

In the film, a single act of violence, the man cutting Delilah in the brothel, leads to a string of murderous events. The other women want revenge, but even when they get that revenge, the problem is not solved. Will has to kill Little Bill and the other men because they will follow him if he does not; he cannot leave his children without a parent, so he must murder even more people. The mounting violence leads only to more violence. In the end, many people have been hurt, many people are dead and no one is happy.