The rest of the cast is excellent. Harris gives us convincing bravado, leaving us to guess that it's empty (same with Woolvett). Fisher is commanding as Strawberry Alice, providing a moral compass to the film. And while Beauchamp's character is obviously a symbol (though he goes from printing the legend to printing the truth), Rubinek resists overplaying him. The main reasons the movie works, however, are Hackman and Eastwood. Hackman had to be talked into this role, and I'm glad Eastwood talked him into it. Hackman has played his share of tough guys as well, and Little Bill allows him to comment on the role as well as play it (in a sense, he's Popeye Doyle taken to an extreme and set in the west). Eastwood gets some trademark quips in this movie (after the Schofield kid, trying to rationalize killing the cowboy, sobs, "I guess he had it coming," Munny replies "We all have it coming, kid"), but gives his usual monotone an element of world-weariness, of sadness, that deepens the picture. It's elements like that which helped UNFORGIVEN win several Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor (Hackman), and it's what makes it a great film.
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