One of the great western plots is the outsider stranger who comes to a town and one way or another rids it of its bad elements. A cliché best typified by Shane. In High Plains Drifter we have the town of Lago which sure doesn't look like much. A mysterious stranger comes to town played by Clint Eastwood and he's certainly up for the role of town savior. But as the film unfolds is Lago a town worth saving?
The funny thing is that Eastwood himself did a variation on the plot of Shane in Pale Rider. He's as noble there as Alan Ladd was in Shane. But in High Plains Drifter his gunfighter skills are almost superhuman. And he's far from noble. His brooding presence frightens the town people but he might be their savior so like it or not, they put up with it though they don't like it.
In fact the town's leading citizens are really a scurvy lot and the town has a lot of secrets. As you watch High Plains Drifter you wonder if the crowd is worth saving.
It all works out the same as it does for Shane, but with one supernatural twist. In fact there's not another Clint Eastwood movie let alone western film where the supernatural comes in. It truly is a star vehicle for Eastwood, most of the supporting cast don't have enough to work with to create memorable characters. An exception is Barry Curtis, a midget who Eastwood elevates to prime importance and is really the only true friend the High Plains Drifter has.
In fact High Plains Drifter has a ride into the sunset like no other.
