#PALE RIDER MOVIE#

Michael Moriarty, the archetypal quirky star of '80s genre fare, has possibly his most sympathetic role as the family man striving to do good who finds himself outnumbered by the bad guys. It's a reprise of a similar character he played in HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, although his origins here are perhaps even more mysterious (he shows up when one of the characters prays to God for a miracle). I particularly enjoyed Eastwood's turn as the unnamed preacher in this one. With a beautiful backdrop of mountainous scenery and a talented supporting cast, Eastwood delivers one of the finest westerns of the 1980s. The plot itself is nothing remarkable – poor gold panners are hassled by a big wig business boss and a mysterious stranger turns up to fight for their cause – but it's the execution where this film excels.

#PALE RIDER MOVIE#

PALE RIDER might well be my favourite Eastwood western yet: it's a perfectly made movie in which the star is at the top of his career both in terms of direction and acting. Here's another eerily evocative western from the undisputed master of the genre. From the thundering opening to the gorgeous final shot, Pale Rider is an expertly crafted Western that still holds up today as a great entry on Eastwoods CV. Pale Rider works well because Eastwood cares for the genre so much, no frame is wasted and the acting on show delivers the necessary amount of quality to enhance the picture's impact. Riffing on his own High Plains Drifter from 1973 and homaging Shane in the process, Eastwood again uses supernatural leanings to play out this intriguing tale. It had been quite some time since the movie watching world had witnessed a damn good Western, so it is obvious that Eastwood, knowing the genre inside out, felt it time to remind all and sundry about this engrossing genre and all its little peccadilloes. Behold the pale horse because the man that sat on him was Clint Eastwood! And that's all you really want to know as regards what drives the film on. Later on Megan is reading from the bible, she reads aloud to her mother about 'beholding a pale horse and that the man who sat on it was death', we then see a lone horseman riding towards this under fire place. When Megan buries her beloved pet, she calls to god to send someone to help them against the greedy LaHood, because LaHood is intent on stripping the locals of their claims, and he literally will stop at nothing to get them. During this callous act of bullying, one of the men shoots and kills young Megan's dog. A group of men employed by Coy LaHood, tear thru a small mining community, shooting guns and trampling over all in their way.

The opening to Pale Rider is just excellent, at first all is calm and serene, but then the peace is shattered by the thundering of hooves.

Pale rider