Since his iconic debut in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Clint Eastwood has become a leading figure in Westerns. Known for taking a revisionist, deconstruction-oriented approach to the genre, the actor-director stands next to John Wayne for his impact on how audiences see the Old West. However, one of his best movies played into the supernatural and put a fresh spin on a classic story.
Clint Eastwood made a name for himself as the leading actor of the Western genre through A Fistful of Dollars, a clear adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Under the direction of Sergio Leone, the actor became the face of Hollywood masculinity, adopting a silent and stoic persona on film. Into the 1970s, the actor started taking the reins of his projects, stepping into the role of both director and star of some of his best stories. This was the case in influential Westerns like The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven, often regarded as some of his best work. One of his best movies saw him take on the role of a Biblical metaphor, turning in one of the few supernatural stories in the genre. It also happens to be one of the best Westerns of the 1980s.
Clint Eastwood Had His Own Style Of Western
From the start of his heyday playing the Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Clint Eastwood forged his path in the Western genre. This can particularly be seen in his directorial work, where he has taken on several projects focused on a darker vision of the West. Whether it was his role as the vengeful Confederate, Josey Wales, or a repentant killer, William Munny, his revisionist films continue to be some of the most popular in the genre. Even his modern thrillers, like Dirty Harry and Coogan’s Bluff borrow from his days playing a gunslinger.
Clint Eastwood favored a more revisionist style of Western, one that pulled no punches and delved into the moral ambiguity of the Old West. This became especially true the more he stepped into the role of director, handling some of the best, most well-written stories in the modern film industry. While he took on a series of projects between the 1970s and ’80s, Unforgiven is the best representation of his style of Western. The director has typically presented a grounded, sobering examination of the shades of grey of the American frontier, though his ’80s masterpiece is made with an eye toward classics.
Pale Rider Follows A Heroic Preacher
Pale Rider takes place in a mining town outside LaHood, California, where a community of prospectors faces violence and intimidation from a mining baron, Coy LaHood. After surviving an attack by the villain’s men, a tearful young girl, Megan, prays for help from God when her dog is killed by the riders. Just as she finishes reading from her Bible, a lone rider atop a pale horse arrives and fights off LaHood’s goons. Aiding one of the miners, Hull, who is pursuing Megan’s mother, Sarah, the rider is taken in by the family and is revealed to be a preacher. After proving himself more than capable, the mysterious hero pulls his weight around the community, assisting Hull in his prospecting by helping him break rocks. When more of LaHood’s men arrive, he again manages to send them packing, only further enraging the baron.
The movie follows the preacher as he continues to come to the aid of the prospectors, with Megan developing an uncomfortable attraction towards him (despite being shy of fifteen). To eliminate his new rival, LaHood turns to a corrupt marshal, Stockburn, and his posse of deputies, who work as mercenaries for the highest bidder. When the hired guns arrive in town, Preacher gets word of it, revealing that he has a history with Stockburn — who is under the impression he murdered the protagonist. After rescuing Megan from an attempted assault by the baron’s men, Preacher and Hull set out to confront the tyrant and put an end to his oppression once and for all. However, intent on protecting the prospector and his family, Preacher scares away the second horse and sends the man back to care for Megan and Sarah.
In a phenomenal final showdown, Preacher lures Stockburn’s men out into the open of the town, sticking to t he shadows so he can get the drop on them. As he picks them off one by one, his climactic fight with the marshal plays out, the latter shocked to see the man he thought he’d killed standing before him. In an act of swift revenge, Preacher delivers a shot to his enemy’s head. Just as he does, LaHood attempts to shoot the unsuspecting hero, only to be taken down by Hull, reminiscent of how Will Kane is saved by his wife in High Noon.
Pale Rider Is A Play On Shane
Pale Rider is a clear play on the classic Western Shane, which follows a retired gunslinger turned farm hand who aids a family against a predatory cattle baron, Ryker. Famously ending on an ambiguous note as an injured Shane rides off into the night, the movie helped define the genre for decades to come. Where Shane’s story was a more grounded one, Eastwood’s Preacher brings both an element of the supernatural and a Biblical metaphor, symbolizing Death atop a pale horse. The character also serves as an inspirational figure for the prospector community, coming along at just the right time as do figures in the Bible. Just as the community’s spirits begin to wane, the preacher inspires them, giving them a hero who can stand up to LaHood, just as Shane stands up to Ryker.
The use of metaphor, divine providence, and Biblical allegory is constant throughout the film, with Preacher coming across as an almost grizzled Christ-like figure in how he inspires those around him. He even manages to earn the respect of one of LaHood’s toughest henchmen, who steps in to save him from being shot. Throughout the movie, the hero performs impressive feats, both physically and spiritually, as he becomes a champion for the prospecting community. While the idea of Death atop a pale horse is commonly associated with the Apocalypse, Pale Rider explores the idea of it serving more as a metaphor for judgment, revenge, and justice. After all, the four horsemen are symbols of God’s wrath — something visited upon LaHood and his men.
Pale Rider is as close to a classical Western as Eastwood has come, though it is still made with the director’s signature grit and depth. The film takes the basic structure of Andy Ladd’s iconic role and adapts it into a supernatural tale of Biblical justice and hope, with the Preacher’s arrival being an act of providence. The full truth behind the nature of his character is never revealed, but it’s clear that his character is a man on a mission from God, spared death so he can bring justice to the West. The character is still the man he was in life, as is demonstrated by his desire for vengeance against Stockburn.
Pale Rider Is the Best Western of its Decade
While the 1980s weren’t as iconic as the 1950s, as influential as the ’60s, or as experimental as the ’90s, the decade still houses some exceptional Westerns. Whether it’s Kevin Costner’s entry into the genre in Silverado or the representation of ’80s youth culture in Young Guns, the decade has some iconic tales of the Old West. However, Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider stands out as the best of its decade when it comes to the genre. This is in large part thanks to it borrowing its plot from one of the best films of the ’50s, as well as the star’s presence on screen and strength as a director.
Pale Rider’s best feature is its final shootout, which stands out as one of the best in the genre. It borrows from elements of past showdowns, with direct influence from High Noon and Shane. In that sense, the film should be viewed as being as much an homage to the classic gunslinger films of the ’50s as anything else. This shows Eastwood’s reverence for the genre, something that brings out the best in the story. Despite its supernatural basis, the film stands out as a brilliant representation of the perils of the Old West, and the positive change that can be accomplished through a helping hand.