Review of Pale Rider (1985) by Brian D — 25 Nov 2010
Eastwood shows his brilliance here, no longer romanticizing the West but rather the human spirit that orignally made it possible. Pale rider works on multiple levels, as an entertaining flick and a timeless allegory that seems to be overlooked. The timeless theme of a small, independent community antagonized by the larger body of progress, in this case modernization, and probably Hollywood.
The West is no longer a wide open free range of drifting cowboys sleeping under the moonlight. It is not about the panhandlers seeking riches (at least toward the end), but instead about defending a humble way of life in the face of the inevitable march of development, machinery replacing men. Pale Rider is a stand of the soul, and it is also Eastwood's return to a West that has been broken by the machine -- a savior in the genre.
This review of Pale Rider (1985) was written by Brian D on 25 Nov 2010.
Pale Rider has generally received positive reviews.
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