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Pale Rider
1985
A girl kneels over the grave of her murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint Eastwood's PALE RIDER was the filmmaker's first Western in nearly a decade. It finds a pleasant balance between the mystical revisionism of films such as HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and the .. Read more
| Starring | Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Sydney Penny |
|---|---|
| Director | Clint Eastwood |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
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Pale Rider
A girl kneels over the grave of her murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint Eastwood's PALE RIDER was the filmmaker's first Western in nearly a decade. It finds a pleasant balance between the mystical revisionism of films such as HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and the traditional Western. Eastwood stars as the Preacher, who wanders into a dusty California town and tries to rescue a community of gold prospectors that is being terrorized by the local corporate mining operation, which is strip-mining the land. He's taken in by Hull Barrett (Michael Moriarty), who lives with Sarah Wheeler (Carrie Snodgrass) and her 14-year-old daughter, she of the murdered pooch, Megan (Sydney Penny). The Preacher is something of a blend of Eastwood's Man with No Name and the title character of George Stevens's SHANE. The story and treatment are straightforward and entertaining, and the strong performances draw the audience in. The Preacher remains a mysterious character, but in the end, as he takes on the evil mining corporation's hired guns, it's impossible not to root for him.
| Starring | Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Sydney Penny, Christopher Penn, Richard Kiel, Richard Dysart |
|---|---|
| Director | Clint Eastwood |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 51 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English, Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 14 Mar 2005 Production year: 1985 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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This handsome mystical western, virtually a reworking of Shane, is one of director/star Clint Eastwood's more sombre offerings. A small community of prospectors struggle to scrape a living in the shadow of a strip-mining company that is intent on driving them out, by any means necessary. A young girl (Sydney Penny) prays for deliverance from the violence — cue Eastwood's entrance as the enigmatic “Preacher” who arrives on a pale horse (one of the film's many ponderous biblical references) and begins to mete out his own brand of justice. We are in classic “man with no name” territory here — with added religious symbolism — but despite a reliably good performance from Eastwood and excellent support from Penny and Carrie Snodgress, this takes itself a little too seriously to be on a par with the Sergio Leone collaborations or Eastwood's own superior efforts such as The Outlaw Josey Wales.
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Unreeling like a supernatural Shane, this is a violent and pretentious Western with nothing to be pretentious about.
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Most helpful member's review
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11 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Straightforward Western
Stop me if you've heard this one. The residents of a small mining town are being terrorized by a local landowner but salvation arrives in the shape of an enigmatic stranger. The stranger stands up for the villagers, defeats the villains, and disappears as mysteriously as he arrived.
Consider the fact that the stranger here is played by Clint Eastwood and you'd be forgiven for suffering a sense of deja vu. This is one of the oldest stories in the genre and one Clint has already done better in his earlier 'High Plains Drifter'(1973). However, that's not to say 'Pale Rider' is totally without merit.
As always with Eastwood's films the cinematography(here by Bruce Surtees) is excellent and the film is never less than entertaining. Eastwood has also assembled a fine cast including Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress and Richard Kiel. Chris Penn has an early role and there's a remarkable performance 14 year-old Sydney Penny.
Unfortunately Eastwood lays on too much skewed religious symbolism as his near-omnipresent preacher lays the bad guys to waste. The story's adherence to the basic conventions of the genre is also disappointing particularly as Eastwood is usually at his best when going against those conventions.
This is still a highly enjoyable western but there's nothing here you haven't seen before. Clint has made masterpieces in this genre with 'Unforgiven'(1992) and 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'(1976), and those films leave this looking like a pale imitation. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Eastwood at his Best
'Preacher my arse' predates the Royal Family by a good 15 years and neatly summarises the central question that lifts this film way beyond being a simply ripping yarn. Who is the Preacher? How did he survive those bullet scars on his back? (Actually did the pattern exactly match the wounds inflicted on the Marshall at the final shoot-out?) Perhaps it doesn't quite last in the mind the way that Unforgiven does, but it is superb film making all the same.
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A girl kneels over the grave of her murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint Eastwood's PALE RIDER was the filmmaker's first ... -