Review of Pale Rider (1985) by Ola G — 31 Jan 2015

Thugs working for big-time miner Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) ride in and destroy the camp of a group of struggling gold miners and their families who have settled in nearby Carbon Canyon of Lahood, California. In leaving, they also shoot the little dog of fourteen-year-old Megan Wheeler (Sydney Penny). As Megan buries it in the woods and prays for a miracle, a stranger is heading to the town on horseback. Megan's mother, Sarah (Carrie Snodgress), is keeping company with Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty), the leader of the miners. Hull heads off into town to pick up supplies, where the same thugs start to beat him up and he is rescued by the stranger (Clint Eastwood), who takes the men on single-handedly. Hull invites him to his house, and shortly after, he appears wearing a clerical collar and thereafter is called Preacher. Coy LaHood's son Josh (Chris Penn) attempts to scare Preacher with a show of strength from his giant work hand, Club (Richard Kiel), who with one hammer blow smashes a large rock that Preacher and Hull had been laboring over. When Club attempts to attack Preacher, he hits him in the face with his hammer and delivers a blow to Club's groin. Coy LaHood has been away in Sacramento and is furious to learn about Preacher's arrival through his son, since this will stiffen the resistance of the tin-panners. When Preacher arrives in town and confronts LaHood, he offers to buy the miners out, initially for $100, then $125 and then the Preacher goads him into raising his offer to $1,000 per claim, but only if they leave within 24 hours; otherwise LaHood threatens to hire a corrupt Marshal named Stockburn to clear them out. The miners initially want to take the offer but, when Hull reminds them why they came and what they have sacrificed, they decide to stay and fight. The next morning, however, the Preacher disappears. Megan, who has grown fond of the Preacher, heads out looking for him, but Josh captures her on LaHood´s premises and attempts to rape her, whilst his cohorts look on and encourage him. Club sees what is happening and moves forward to help her before Josh can do anything serious. At this moment the Preacher arrives on horseback armed with a revolver and after having shot Josh in the hand when he goes for his gun, he takes Megan back to her mother in the mining camp. Preacher will finally set the score with Stockburn and LaHood...

"Pale Rider" was the highest grossing western at the box-office made and released during the 1980s. In an audio interview, Clint Eastwood said that his character Preacher "is an out-and-out ghost". But whereas "High Plains Drifter" resolves its story-line by means of a series of unfolding flash back narratives (although ambiguity still remains), "Pale Rider" does not include any such obvious clues to the nature and past of the 'Preacher'. One is left to draw one's own conclusions regarding the overall story line and its meaning. The movie's title is taken from The Book of Revelation, chapter 6, verse 8: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." The reading of the biblical passage describing this character is neatly choreographed to correspond with the sudden appearance of the Preacher, who arrived as a result of a prayer from Megan, in which she quoted Psalm 23. So, this was the return of Eastwood´s classic "Man with no name" character and with that said this is a classic Eastwood western with revenge and retribution as the main theme, with other words nothing new per say, but in this case the "Man with no name" embody elements of the supernatural and is supposedly dead appearing as a ghost to take revenge on the man who killed him. I do like the biblical side message as it works, but at the same time Preacher becomes a bit too much of a knight in shining armour in my opinion. The cinematography is nice and the acting solid. Eastwood is however playing on a fine line with having Megan offering herself to him and being in love with him as she see him as a message from God. I don´t think that part works and the same goes for Megan´s final lines in the end. "Pale Rider" is not Eastwood's best western, but not bad either.