High Plains Drifter (1973)

A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Ernest Tidyman

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	The Stranger
Verna Bloom	...	Sarah Belding
Marianna Hill	...	Callie Travers (as Mariana Hill)
Mitchell Ryan	...	Dave Drake
Jack Ging	...	Morgan Allen
Stefan Gierasch	...	Mayor Jason Hobart
Ted Hartley	...	Lewis Belding
Billy Curtis	...	Mordecai
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Stacey Bridges
Scott Walker	...	Bill Borders
Walter Barnes	...	Sheriff Sam Shaw
Paul Brinegar	...	Lutie Naylor
Richard Bull	...	Asa Goodwin
Robert Donner	...	Preacher
John Hillerman	...	Bootmaker

Storyline

A Stranger rides into in the dusty mining town of Lago, where the townspeople are living in the shadow of a dark secret. After a shootout leaves the town's hired-gun protectors dead, the town's leaders petition the Stranger to stay and protect them from three ruthless outlaws who are soon to be released from prison. The three have their sights set on returning to Lago to wreak havoc and take care of some unfinished business. A series of events soon has the townspeople questioning whether siding with the Stranger was a wise idea as they quickly learn the price that they each must pay for his services. As the outlaws make their way back into Lago, they discover that the town is not exactly as they had left it, and waiting in the shadows is the Stranger, ready to expose the town's secret and serve up his own brand of justice.

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Plot Keywords:

outlaw | gunfighter | desert | prison | gravestone | 

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Taglines:

They didn't know his face - They didn't know his name. But they'd never forget the day he drifted into town.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Fremder ohne Namen

Filming Locations:

Inyo National Forest - 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 1,512,351 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Malpaso Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actors began to paint the houses of Lago red, but professionals finished them off.

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Goofs

When the Stranger buys drinks for everybody in the saloon, the shots of the bar from behind where the glasses are stored clearly show fluorescent lighting underneath the bar.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Stranger: Beer... and a bottle.
Lutie Naylor: Ain't much good, but it's all there is.
[brings drinks]
Lutie Naylor: You want anything else?
The Stranger: Just a peaceful hour to drink it in.

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Crazy Credits

The closing shot of The Stranger disappearing into the heatwaves plays out over the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in John Wayne Made Me Cry: Our Western Heros (2002)

User Reviews

Clint Eastwood's Signature Film!

Of all of his westerns, his performance in 'Drifter was time and again the movie that, unarguably to me, defined his career. From the opening minutes when he rides into town, and coolly walks up to the bar, to the time he vaporizes into thin air when the credits roll, his performance in this film was gritty, flawless and truly Eastwood. Another quality to the movie is it's blend of atmosphere and story, no wonder why its played over and over again on TV. I remember watching it for the first time when I was around 12 (1985) I was very impressionable then and I remember how cool it was to watch Clint go thru his motions during the movie. Nobody knew his name or where he came from, and he didn't oblige them by making them guess throughout the movie. He shot his gun with lethal accuracy when anyone gave him trouble, and was noncommittal to the cowardly townsfolk who wanted his help to take care of the outlaws released from jail. He did things his own way. Those are just some of the reasons why I gave this film 9 stars out of a perfect 10.