Pale Rider (1985)
carries the famous mystery touch of
Clint Eastwood Westerns

Pale Rider is one of my favorites among Clint Eastwood Westerns. Because, it brings us a character we all know and love since our childhood bedtime. A prince! Who is brave, charming and who rescues people from devil's hand. Well, the job and characteristics are the same; however this 'prince' is not that young. Our rescuer prince is actually a Preacher this time who rides a pale horse.

The story of Pale Rider resembles to that of another all time classic western movie named 'Shane'. Probably Clint Eastwood couldn't just bear to retire before he himself plays the 'Shane'. And if he did so, I must say "He has done a remarkable job!" Also Pale Rider has some similarity to one of his own acted-n-directed western film High Plain's Drifter. He plays a drifter again.

Hull, Megan and Sarah

As the movie begins, we see a small village of some panning miners being ransacked by a group of horsemen. These ruffians are employed by Coy LaHood and his arrogant son Josh, the rival and successful miners of a nearby town, who want these poor miners out of area so that they can expand their hydraulic mining. The rich-n-poor, good-n-bad, mighty-n-weak old but interesting plot. Now you remember 'Shane'..eh? Poor squatters of Shane!

And Hell Followed With Him!

Hull (a panning miner), Sarah and Megan are like a small family in the village. After village is destroyed by horsemen, Megan prays for a miracle. And.. we see the Pale Rider rides in. He kicks some bad asses in such an amazing and spectacular way that all broken-will miners stand against the injustice. Clint Eastwood makes it more violent than Shane and it suits him too.

The Evil Team- Coy LaHood and Marshal Stockburn

No prizes for guessing that soon he makes Coy LaHood an enemy. Coy LaHood sends for a feared Marshal with six deputies to crush the poor miners. But the Preacher inspires, ignites and unites poor miners and defeats Coy LaHood. Although it seems like quite an ordinary plot but the way it is executed, is superb. Dialogues in the movie are excellent, you will love them. Plus a few mystery points will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Yes, Pale Rider is another mystery-man movie from Clint Eastwood Westerns. A few things shown subtly in the movie keep you engaged in irrational thinking during this entire western film-

• His character in the movie doesn’t have a name. He wears a minister's collar, hence called Preacher. A man with no name again?


• In one scene his bare back reveals six bullet wound marks which is kind of spooky because only a ghost can survive after six bullets in.



Marshal Stockburn and his deputies say Hello!




• He rides in on a Pale horse right when a girl Megan prays and reads from Bible the Revelation of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, Death riding on a pale horse.


• Sarah reveals in one scene that her husband left years ago and never came back. She tells the Preacher that she felt a strange connection with him when she saw him. A dead man in disguise?


• When Marshal Stockburn hears about this mysterious Preacher he seems to recognize him but tells Coy LaHood that the man he is thinking of is dead. This makes us to think were the bullet marks on Preacher’s back given by Marshal Stockburn?


• In last scene of Pale Rider, Marshal Stockburn apparently recognizes the Preacher and yells in shock "You?". And Preacher makes six holes in Marshal Stockburn's body which reminds us his own bullet wound marks. An old score?

What a precision!

So who was this Preacher? A ghost or a survivor? Was he Sarah's (probably dead) husband in disguise? How Marshal Stockburn knows him? What was the rivalry between Marshal Stockburn and the Preacher? Was he a ghost spirit who came to take revenge from Marshal Stockburn? All these questions make Pale Rider one of the mysterious Clint Eastwood films.

The Preacher is an eye-candy!

Pale Rider's Preacher is a refined character from Clint Eastwood Westerns (stylish too). The Preacher is hell of a fighter. We see Clint Eastwood's rough and ready skills when he helps Hull in the town. He is clever. He outsmarts Marshal Stockburn's deputies in a spectacular way. And he is SEXY.. Clint Eastwood proves 'old is gold' once again. Either she is a teenager Megan or a middle aged woman Sarah, he dazzles the fair sex with his style, looks, manner and skills. No doubt Pale Rider is one of most stylishly performed character from Clint Eastwood Westerns.

A lone man is an easy prey!

Bottom line? I just loved it and I recommend it to all western movie freaks. It might not be a classic but it’s a very nice western and Clint Eastwood stars in it..what else we can ask for ?

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