Pale Rider, le cavalier solitaire

Eastwood takes us back to the Wild West in this beautifully filmed Western action adventure. The script is that of a typical Western flick: The villain is a bad guy in power (LaHood) terrorizing the helpless (in this case a group of 'squatters'). Desperate LaHood uses violent measures to drive them away until suddenly an enigmatic preacher shows up.

Eastwood definitely adds his signature touch. He humanizes the story and the characters which is what makes his films different from the usual Western flicks that were popular when the genre was at its peaks. The women aren't cast as showpieces or mere damsels in distress and the men aren't all evil or all good. Even a despicable person like LaHood shows a human side and Stockburn's expressions leak fear and vulnerability.

Then there are the strong good-guy characters: Hull, his girlfriend and her daughter. All three are drawn to the Preacher. Hull admires him and maybe even sees him as a role model as a result of which he gathers courage and learns to fend for himself and what he believes in. Sarah has fallen in love and she knows that they have no future but she begins to appreciate what she has. Megan has her first crush and even though The Preacher respectfully rejects her advances, she takes her first step towards adulthood and responsibility. The Preacher is mysterious, generous, quiet and a loner. He may be the good samaritan but he isn't without his share of faults and secrets.

The breathtaking landscape is captured beautifully with stunning cinematography. The editing is also solid as the pace is quite steady. The art direction and costumes are brilliant. Sound effect is decent and the score works well. The horses are awesome.

Eastwood is excellent as the mysterious brooding but likable Preacher. Of course he's used to playing such characters and he does them so remarkably. Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress and Sydney Penny are equally great. Richard Dysart makes for an entertaining villain.

In my opinion, Eastwood's Weaterns have stood the test of time. I can enjoy them today just as I did years ago. 'Pale Rider' is no exception.

A drifter (Clint Eastwood) comes to a mining village in the Old West just in time to reckoning gunslingers and owners . He is a mysterious preacher who comes to the aid of gold prospectors and protects a humble embattled prospector (Michael Moriarty) and his woman (Carrie Snodgres) from a greedy mining company (ruled by LaHood , Richard Dysart, and his son Josh LaHood , Chris Penn) trying to encroach on their land . Meanwhile , the Good Stranger is idolized by their daughter named Megan (Sydney Penny). As the wealthy owner contracts a group of outlaws as hired gunfighters (led by John Russell who also acted as villain in Rio Bravo) to kill miners . The title ¨The Pale Rider¨ refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation, chapter six , Megan is reading the exact verse when she and her mom first see Preacher ride up to their house.

Well crafted Western with interesting screenplay written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack . Although atmospheric , it's also sometimes slow-moving and winds up into a spectacular showdown . This stirring picture contains a powerful examination of morality and hypocrisy on people as well as an enjoyable message about faith and hope . Clint Eastwood is unforgettable in the title role coming to help a group of struggling miners and homesteaders . Clint Eastwood revealed in interviews that his character is in fact a ghost. Other clues to the Preacher's true nature are the ghastly bullet wound scars seen when he is dressing, and his sudden appearances and disappearances throughout the movie . During shooting, Clint Eastwood sustained what he describes as the worst injury he has ever had on set when a horse he was riding fell through thin ice and launched him forward as Clint suffered a dislocated shoulder . Good casting with several secondaries as Carrie Snodgress , Chris Penn , Doug McGrath , Richard Kiel , Charles Hallahan , Billy Drago and special mention to John Russell as a downright nasty. Exquisitely shot in Panavision by Bruce Surtees , son of classic cameraman Robert Surtees , with a magnificent cinematography on the wooded exteriors and snowy mountains backgrounds. Acceptable production design by veteran Edward Carfagno , though the train station built for production was used again late in 1988 for Back to the Future Part III . Thrilling as well as sensitive musical score by Lennie Niehaus . The film is made in somewhat similar style to ¨Shane¨ by George Stevens , and which so much cloning of ¨High plains drifter¨ also directed by Eastwood only this time the drifter appears to have been sent from hell rather than heaven to right from ordinary injustices . Star, producer , filmmaker Eastwood realizes an excellent film and perfectly directed . This classic Western as good as the notorious ¨Josey Wales¨ is splendid in every way . Later on , Eastwood produced and directed another successful Western ¨Unforgiven(1992)¨ also with some common theme.

During the early 80s, the Western genre was beginning to lose its position in Hollywood, and losing its impact on the audience. And the financial disaster of the Western "Heaven's Gate" did not really make very many producers any more enthusiastic about putting their money in to make Western films. But one of the producers, more famous as an actor and director, who was willing to make another Western, was Clint Eastwood. Maybe because Westerns like "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" had started his career in the 60s, he felt he owed it to at least himself to try and revive the genre before Hollywood officially threw it in the scrap pile.

"Pale Rider" was, and still is, a phenomenal success of a film. After its release, the Western genre was saved and brought back to life for several more years. It has fallen down nonetheless, but has not disappeared from cinema screens. And we really owe it all to Clint Eastwood for this film. "Pale Rider" is one of his best Westerns. It is well-acted, well characterized, has plenty of action, and is overall a great achievement.

As one might expect, Clint Eastwood plays a mysterious stranger in this film. Very much like in the Dollars Trilogy and "High Plains Drifter", his character is never given an actual name. The character Eastwood plays in this film, however, is different than the squinting gunslingers he played in the past. This character is more anti-violent than the previous ones and doesn't even put his hand on a six-gun until the film is more than half-over. He mingles with the bad guys plenty of times, but rarely ever with a shooting iron. He's still a man of few words, but isn't as cold and self-concerned.

Along with Eastwood, we have a cast made up of fine actors such as Michael Moriarty, the late Chris Penn, Richard A. Dysart, and one of the most popular of Western villains John Russell as a corrupt marshal by the name of Stockburn. Russell's character is one of the coldest cinema villains I've seen in a long time and his limited screen time aids in his impact and appearance. Russell's cold, almost lifeless voice added with Lennie Niehaus's eerie background music score brings a spine-chilling atmosphere to the film when the character speaks some of his first dialogue in the film. Like Eastwood's character, Stockburn is a character that says little, yet still delivers an enormous impact.

Scenery in "Pale Rider" was absolutely beautiful, especially when combined with the effective lighting and cinematography. Many times in the film, we see a mountain directly smack center in the background. The cinematography is most of the time, dark and eerie. Dark scenes are even darker than usual, making this vision of the Old West even dirtier and savage than in most Westerns. And yet it isn't shown as being entirely savage, for it wasn't. True, the West was a tough place to live in the 19th century, especially during feuds over gold, but it wasn't a day of just regular killing.

Some people have accused "Pale Rider" was being a rip off of the classic 1953 film "Shane". I will not deny the fact that they are very similar in a lot of regards and share similar scenes. A stranger coming to a settlement in the Old West during a feud between a successful land tycoon and homesteaders on land he wants was used in "Shane". But "Pale Rider" is in no way, shape, or form a rip-off. Any similarities to "Shane" is a homage, a tribute of respect. After all, Eastwood was attempting to save the Western genre, and perhaps this was his way of reminding the audiences of the great films of the past. Yet, he could do it without copying it. He just re-visioned it.

Pale Rider is my all time favourite movie.From the opening scene with it's atmospheric audio sounds that bring the scenery alive to the Shane-like ending Pale Rider plays out as a very competent and well structured story.It is a thought provoking movie,leaving one wondering is this 'Preacher' really the physical entity he appears to be?Echoes of his past resonate throughout the film as to his past,and,perhaps,his fate.The plot is not original but is superior to the likes of Shane and HPD in that the cinematography lends itself to favour the subtle supernatural theme.Hazy filters in the forest scene where Megan buries her dog work to create a 'spiritual' effect for example,yet it is merely a 'suggestive' effect,and not everyone will pick up on it.The 'Preachers' arrival at the cabin just as Megan reads from the scriptures could be seen as purely coincidental, or is a higher power at work?The story builds to the inevitable showdown and again subtle ploys are used to suggest that the 'Preacher' is not all that he seems to be,though this time a finely crafted script is the medium to put the feeling across.The script is dry but is emotive and one gets a feel for the characters,not common in westerns.The ending is left somewhat open and has compelled me to write a 'sequel' which I've called Megans Odyssey.Sydney Penny's portrayal of the vulnerable yet strong willed Megan added the winning formula to this movie,creating both a romantic sub-plot and a sense of family values,another rare quality in westerns.A 10 out of 10 gem.

In the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns of the 60s, Clint Eastwood rose to fame playing the man with no name. In 'Pale Rider', Eastwood creates his own variation of this character. Eastwood plays a mysterious gunfighter who is given the name 'preacher' because of the preacher's collar he wears. When the 'preacher' arrives at a gold mining community, he helps them stand up against a callous landowner.

Eastwood cuts deep into the film's characters in what is a rather standard script. Particularly, in the scenes involving the preacher and a gold-mining family. Eastwood also succeeds in giving his film a dark atmosphere which only adds to its intensity.

'Pale Rider' may not be as good as the director's best westerns, 'Unforgiven' and 'The Outlaw Josey Wales', but it can be regarded as a strong effort in what has been an illustrious career for Eastwood.

Rating: (8/10)