"Pale Rider" opens up with a beautiful shot of pointy mountains looming behind a lush fir forest which again form the background to dusty plains. Aross this beautiful landscape we see a pack of riders, whipping their horses into a frenzy as they cut through the scenery. Then we cut to an idyllic looking encampment where we se gold prospectors and their families going about their business, a goat here, a dog playfully licking a man's face there... For some time we keep cutting between these two images and we just know that something bad is going to happen. Tension is building slowly until the riders are unleashed upon their victims and make quite the mess. They even shoot a cow and a dog. The dog, we learn, belongs to Megan Wheeler, played by a very young Sydney Penny (Bernadette, 1988) in a wonderful performance. It is her loss and the subsequent burial of the dog which triggers the entrance of the Preacher, through some suggested divine intervention. Clint Eastwood (Heartbreak Ridge, 1986) arrives as an ominous silhouette at first, on the heels of rumbling thunder and shots of rugged mountains, and ending up framed in the doorway of the Wheelers' as Megan finishes her bible reading with the quote: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death."
As we learn later, the assault was part of a tactic by the shrewd villain, Coy LaHood, played by Richard Dysart (The Thing, 1982), to drive the prospectors off the land so he can get his hands on the gold which is hidden away in their creek, and Preacher is a man of God coming to lift their spirits and lend a hand. Literary, his introduction to Hull Barret, played by Michael Moriarty (The Stuff, 1985) is in the form of a brawl with LaHood's henchmen where he dispatches divine justice through the conduit of a bat. Eastwood lends heavily on Sergio Leone's archetype: the man with no name, which he himself played to perfection in the 60s, but adds even more mystique to his character through all the religious implications and the semblance of a revenge motif from some mysterious past. Few, if any, can play the tough loner with the icy stare as well as Eastwood, and this character is no exception. Anyone crossing his path with ill intentions are met with silent intimidation of the kind that makes them quickly holster their guns and run away. The movie is not all brawn and myth-making though, the central family trio of prospectors, also including Sarah Wheeler, played by Carrie Snodgress (Murphy's Law, 1986), is the beating heart of the movie. All the performances are top notch. Every word spoken is done so with the utmost conviction and true to character. How Moriarty can churn out such a subtle and dramatically solid performance considering the rest of his 80s catalogue (Q, The Stuff, Troll, It's Alive III...) is astonishing. There is some early hints that the young daughter is taking a romantic interest in Preacher, and when words about this is exchanged between the two, it seems certain that few screenplays can match the elegance at which it is handled.
For anyone fond of westerns, this is a sure bet for a good time. Some might complain that the overall framework of the plot is formulaic, and if you don't like westerns this will probably not turn you around, but the quality in execution of writing, directing and acting are all top notch. This is a visual movie where the action, the framing of the shots and the gorgeous landscapes dominate the feel and atmosphere of the movie. It is also a movie with excellent use of music and sound, which always help in creating more tension or fleshing out the scenery. The movie is not especially realistic as there are a few logical flaws here and there, but most can be shrugged off as stylistic choices. Sure, it seems strange that one character would reach his destination faster on foot than another character on a horse cart with a head start, or awfully dumb when the main villain stands out in the middle of the street without cover while his men is combing the streets after a hidden and armed Preacher, but his defiance of a sudden death by lead just makes him look even more bad ass, and a worthy opponent for our mythical hero. The 80s were not a happy place for aficianodos of the western, but this little gem almost makes up for it.
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Comments 1 - 5 of 5
cinephile085
Exactly. It's a darker Shane. Fine western.Earring72
Familiair story but gripping and underrated western. Great supporting cast as usual for a Eastwood movie.MMDan
"Sacramento ain't worth moose tits!"Public Enemy
Surprised this is only on one list.Zeltaebar
"Pale Rider" opens up with a beautiful shot of pointy mountains looming behind a lush fir forest which again form the background to dusty plains. Aross this beautiful landscape we see a pack of riders, whipping their horses into a frenzy as they cut through the scenery. Then we cut to an idyllic looking encampment where we se gold prospectors and their families going about their business, a goat here, a dog playfully licking a man's face there... For some time we keep cutting between these two images and we just know that something bad is going to happen. Tension is building slowly until the riders are unleashed upon their victims and make quite the mess. They even shoot a cow and a dog. The dog, we learn, belongs to Megan Wheeler, played by a very young Sydney Penny (Bernadette, 1988) in a wonderful performance. It is her loss and the subsequent burial of the dog which triggers the entrance of the Preacher, through some suggested divine intervention. Clint Eastwood (Heartbreak Ridge, 1986) arrives as an ominous silhouette at first, on the heels of rumbling thunder and shots of rugged mountains, and ending up framed in the doorway of the Wheelers' as Megan finishes her bible reading with the quote: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death."As we learn later, the assault was part of a tactic by the shrewd villain, Coy LaHood, played by Richard Dysart (The Thing, 1982), to drive the prospectors off the land so he can get his hands on the gold which is hidden away in their creek, and Preacher is a man of God coming to lift their spirits and lend a hand. Literary, his introduction to Hull Barret, played by Michael Moriarty (The Stuff, 1985) is in the form of a brawl with LaHood's henchmen where he dispatches divine justice through the conduit of a bat. Eastwood lends heavily on Sergio Leone's archetype: the man with no name, which he himself played to perfection in the 60s, but adds even more mystique to his character through all the religious implications and the semblance of a revenge motif from some mysterious past. Few, if any, can play the tough loner with the icy stare as well as Eastwood, and this character is no exception. Anyone crossing his path with ill intentions are met with silent intimidation of the kind that makes them quickly holster their guns and run away. The movie is not all brawn and myth-making though, the central family trio of prospectors, also including Sarah Wheeler, played by Carrie Snodgress (Murphy's Law, 1986), is the beating heart of the movie. All the performances are top notch. Every word spoken is done so with the utmost conviction and true to character. How Moriarty can churn out such a subtle and dramatically solid performance considering the rest of his 80s catalogue (Q, The Stuff, Troll, It's Alive III...) is astonishing. There is some early hints that the young daughter is taking a romantic interest in Preacher, and when words about this is exchanged between the two, it seems certain that few screenplays can match the elegance at which it is handled.
For anyone fond of westerns, this is a sure bet for a good time. Some might complain that the overall framework of the plot is formulaic, and if you don't like westerns this will probably not turn you around, but the quality in execution of writing, directing and acting are all top notch. This is a visual movie where the action, the framing of the shots and the gorgeous landscapes dominate the feel and atmosphere of the movie. It is also a movie with excellent use of music and sound, which always help in creating more tension or fleshing out the scenery. The movie is not especially realistic as there are a few logical flaws here and there, but most can be shrugged off as stylistic choices. Sure, it seems strange that one character would reach his destination faster on foot than another character on a horse cart with a head start, or awfully dumb when the main villain stands out in the middle of the street without cover while his men is combing the streets after a hidden and armed Preacher, but his defiance of a sudden death by lead just makes him look even more bad ass, and a worthy opponent for our mythical hero. The 80s were not a happy place for aficianodos of the western, but this little gem almost makes up for it.