Pale Rider on DVD (1985)

Average rating: 74%

from 1,970 members

5 Critics reviews
21 Members reviews

Starring:	Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Sydney Penny, Christopher Penn, Richard Kiel, Richard Dysart
Director:	Clint Eastwood
Studio:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time:	111 mins
Certificate:
User collections:	A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do: westerns worth your while, Revenge films, Sometimes the question is more interesting than the answer!, My All Time Favourite Films, The Cool
Genres:	Action/Adventure
Languages:	English
Dubbed:	French, Italian
Hearing-impaired:	English, Italian
Subtitles:	Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Released:	14/03/2005

Brief synopsis of 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.

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High Plains Drifter

Critics Reviews

Radio Times

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.

Halliwell's Film Guide

Unreeling like a supernatural Shane, this is a violent and pretentious Western with nothing to be pretentious about.

Time Out

One of the oldest Western themes: an enigmatic knight errant rides into town, sides with the poor but decent folk... Read more on www.timeout.com

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Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Straightforward Western

Philip Concannon from London , 15/08/2004

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.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful

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Classic Eastwood Western

Tiptoe from South Gloucestershire, England , 27/01/2006

I really enjoyed 'Pale Rider'. I've tried hard to enjoy the Western genre for several years, and having watched various classics still find the genre hard to warm to. I found my Western nirvana in 'Pale Rider'. There's something about this movie that really draws you in. For starters, it has an exciting, exhilarating opening that is truly gripping. What I liked particularly was the way that Eastwood photographed this film. You get the feeling that his intention was to make the beauty of the scenery and landscapes as much a character of the piece as the players. It engenders a feeling of the spirit of the wilderness and that state of existing at the very perimeter of civilisation, where men are forging a new way of life and a new society. There are several shots of the horses and riders as they gallop across country in the beginning segment that reminded me of the wonderful horse chase in 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

The message of this film is one of moral fortitude and courageous strength. Eastwood is at his charismatic best, playing the strong and silent preacher who rolls into town at just the right time. There is also a message here about the importance of standing up to victimisation, bullying and intimidation. And for that alone, 'Pale Rider' is a rewarding tale.

There are no extras on the disc to speak of - a shame, as it could do with some supplementary material. Also look out for a great early turn from the recently deceased Chris Penn.

Recommended. If westerns aren't your bag, at least give this a try. Surely 'Pale Rider' is an underrated gem?

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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Eastwood at his Best

Robert Frazer from London , 28/02/2006

'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.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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