Pale Rider [Blu-ray] [1985] [US Import]

"I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named death, and Hades was following close behind him" Revelations Chapter 6 verse 8.

The title of the film is taken from the above passage from the bible, describing one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The strongly religious tone of the film, make it one of Clint Eastwood's more ambitious and interesting films. It possesses a depth that many of his films fail to reach. In essence it is almost a scene for scene remake of that classic fairy tale western "Shane", that also contains an idea carried over from "High Plains Drifter". In that film a ghost was resurrected from the past to wreak vengeance for past and present evils. The idea is used again in this film and to good effect.

In the film a mysterious stranger wearing a clerical collar rides into a small mining community that is oppressed by a businessman intent on taking over the land they are mining with hard labour. This may already sound familiar to those who have seen "Shane". The businessman whose clumsy attempts at scaring the miners off fail, then resorts to violence and hires a gang of killers. The leader of this gang is known to the stranger from the past. We head to a bloody climax between the preacher and the gang. The assassin is forced to face his nemesis from the past. One that he disturbingly thought was dead and buried.

I had much fun watching the film and spotting the scenes recreated from "Shane". The classic scene where Starrett and Shane battle to uproot a stump is re-enacted substituting a boulder. Elisha Cook's emphatic death in the mud is replicated, only this time there are seven guns and not just those of the deliciously evil Jack Palance. Even the famous ending is copied. Where the film does diverge is with the two main characters from the films. Shane is a semi mythical character who comes with a past, but he is of flesh and blood. But the preacher it is made clear early in the film is a ghost. When we see him take a wash early in the film we see the scars of many bullet wounds in areas that no human being could possibly have survived.

The film contains some good performances. Eastwood is excellent in the lead and Michael Moriarty in the Van Heflin role lends good support. The veteran John Russell is also very good as the hired killer. He had a hard act to follow in Jack Palance, who possibly gave the best performance of screen villainy in cinematic history. Richard Kiel also appears in a rather eccentric bit of casting as a heavy with a heart. His role seems slightly out of step with the rest of the film. But this is a minor criticism. The film is a good effort, and Mr Eastwood who also directed is to be congratulated. Not that I suppose he will worry about my opinion as he sits on his throne in Carmel! Although not as good as the film it openly plagiarizes, it is also no pale imitation. Recommended.

Being an Eastwood fan espicially his westerns this is another top notch film with the gun slinging action, you wont be diappointed, but i think the good the bad and the ugly will always be one of all time favs of his.

Pale Rider is a very good modern(ish) western. Clint Eastwood again plays a mysterious gunfighter who helps a group of poor gold prospectors under threat from big business and unscrupulous methods. It is a very good film which has a dark and mysterious edge but also deals with modern issues such as environmental degradation and exploitation of resources by big business. All in all a good film.