‘There’s plain few problems can’t be solved with a little sweat and hard work...’
By 1985, following the generational failure of Heaven’s Gate in 1980, the Western had completely fallen out of fashion in the world of cinema. If one man was capable of bringing it back, however, that man was Clint Eastwood. Eastwood co-wrote, directed and starred in Pale Rider, and while it is an extremely competent film when viewed in isolation, it’s also pretty derivative of much of Eastwood’s work…
Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty), an independent prospector in the Old West, is trying in vain to protect his community from mining Baron Coy Lahood (Richard Dysart) when a mysterious stranger shows up (Eastwood obviously) and starts to take control.
So, shades of Easwood’s Dollars trilogy, as well his early directorial work (particularly High Plains Drifter) and while Pale Rider is mostly absorbing and compelling, it’s impossible to detach it from the oeuvre of its creator. The concept of Eastwood-By-Numbers is a disingenuous one because his output is so high, particularly as a director, but this film is probably the closest we get to Eastwood in exelcis. Eastwood is in his purest form. That being said, the film was a critical and commercial success, and while it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it does work as an interesting counterpoint to some of the legendary director’s other works.
Pale Rider is not a top-tier Clint Eastwood Western, but it’s still impossible not to get swept up in it all, particularly as the man himself is so captivating as the Preacher (as is tradition, Eastwood’s character never offers up his real name). It’s simple, really. If you like Westerns that prominently feature Clint Eastwood, you’ll undoubtedly love this one.
