Pale Rider - Another High Plains Drifter

Jun

10

Pale Rider - Another High Plains Drifter

≡ Category: Action, Movie Reviews, Recommended, United States, Western |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Country: United States
Genre: Western
Director: Clint Eastwood
Year: 1985

Rating:

TRASH CINEMA RECOMMENDED MOVIE

If you don’t mind a certain lack of originality and surprises, Pale Rider provides a solid two hours of entertainment.

Really, Pale Rider is a hybrid of Shane and Eastwood’s own High Plains Drifter, gussied up with a sharp script by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack, a dozen sticks of dynamite, a bunch of excellent character actors, and some juicy bullet hits.

Gold mining magnate Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) has a settlement of tin panning miners on the ropes with a program of intimidation and vandalism when Preacher (Clint Eastwood) shows up.

Preacher rekindles the faith of Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty) and the rest of the settlers. He also stirs the passions of Sarah Wheeler (Carrie Snodgress) and her daughter Megan (Sydney Penny).

But LaHood isn’t going to take Preacher’s interference lying down, so he calls in Marshall Stockburn and his six deputees, who are basically killers for hire. When Preacher first rode into the settlement, Megan was reading from the book of Revelations: “And I looked and, behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death…” Clearly, those poor bastards don’t stand a chance.

Even if you know how most of the story is going to turn out, the writing is so much fun you’ll be willing to go along with it. There are many entertaining scenes: LaHood sending one of his goons (Richard Kiel) to beat up Preacher; LaHood’s kid (Chris Penn) attempting to take advantage of Megan; Megan trying to seduce Preacher; and many more.

The cast is studded with wonderful character actors: Billy Drago (most famous as Frank Nitti in The Untouchables) plays one of the deputies; Doug McGrath is Spider Conway, who digs up a lump of gold the size of a baby’s head; John Russell is the evil Stockburn, one of LaHood’s enforcers; and Fran Ryan is the kindly wife of a storekeeper.

I enjoyed how director Eastwood depicted the mining camp in the opening scenes. Without being too obvious or stagy about it, he gives the impression of a warm and thriving community. He also manages a number of moments of quiet beauty, aided by some excellent and not overused locations. Finally, he keeps the picture moving smartly along. Pale Rider is a traditional western, so it’s not a thrill a minute by any means, but the pace doesn’t sag either.

The best way to enjoy Pale Rider is to take it as an opportunity to visit with an old friend, The Man With No Name, take a load off your feet, and relax with a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee.