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IMDbPro

Pale Rider

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
61K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,943
682
Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:10
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaWestern
A mysterious preacher (Clint Eastwood) protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.A mysterious preacher (Clint Eastwood) protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.A mysterious preacher (Clint Eastwood) protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
61K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,943
682
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Michael Butler
    • Dennis Shryack
  • Stars
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Michael Moriarty
    • Carrie Snodgress
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Michael Butler
    • Dennis Shryack
  • Stars
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Michael Moriarty
    • Carrie Snodgress
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 196User reviews
    • 56Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Pale Rider
    Trailer 1:10
    Watch Pale Rider

    Photos121

    Clint Eastwood and John Russell in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood, Sydney Penny, and Carrie Snodgress in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood, Sydney Penny, and Michael Moriarty in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood and Sydney Penny in Pale Rider (1985)
    Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Clint Eastwood
    Clint Eastwood
    • Preacher
    Michael Moriarty
    Michael Moriarty
    • Hull Barret
    Carrie Snodgress
    Carrie Snodgress
    • Sarah Wheeler
    Sydney Penny
    Sydney Penny
    • Megan Wheeler
    Chris Penn
    Chris Penn
    • Josh LaHood
    • (as Christopher Penn)
    Richard Dysart
    Richard Dysart
    • Coy LaHood
    Richard Kiel
    Richard Kiel
    • Club
    Doug McGrath
    Doug McGrath
    • Spider Conway
    John Russell
    John Russell
    • Stockburn
    Charles Hallahan
    Charles Hallahan
    • McGill
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    • Jagou
    Fran Ryan
    Fran Ryan
    • Ma Blankenship
    Richard Hamilton
    Richard Hamilton
    • Jed Blankenship
    Graham Paul
    Graham Paul
    • Ev Gossage
    Chuck Lafont
    • Eddie Conway
    • (as Chuck LaFont)
    Jeffrey Weissman
    Jeffrey Weissman
    • Teddy Conway
    Allen Keller
    • Tyson
    Randy Oglesby
    Randy Oglesby
    • Elam
    • (as Tom Oglesby)
      • Clint Eastwood
      • Michael Butler
      • Dennis Shryack
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first horse assigned to Richard Kiel collapsed the first time he climbed aboard. He was then assigned a stronger horse.
    • Goofs
      When Megan picks up her dog which has just been shot dead the dog's body is stiff, an obvious prop.
    • Quotes

      Megan Wheeler: [Reading from the Book of Revelation] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth beast said: "Come and see." And I looked, and behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death.

      [the Preacher rides up on his pale horse]

      Megan Wheeler: And Hell followed with him.

    • Crazy credits
      The credit for catering just says "The Caterers" (including the quotation marks in the credit).
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Back in the Saddle Again: The Rebirth of the Western (1985)

    User reviews196

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    The Man With No Name Rides Again.
    The Westerns is what gained Eastwood mainstream recognition, and he returns to prosperous grounds with this movie. Much like his character, he returns the Western from the dead and avenges their loss of appeal at the box office. A few years later, he was to strike gold with ‘Unforgiven' and although this story is not as gripping as ‘Unforgiven', it is well crafted with minor flaws.

    The similarities between this movie and his well-known Spaghetti Westerns are vast, but the difference lies with the superior quality. Once again he is the ‘Man With No Name' defending the weak and settling an old score. Where this one differs from his earlier work is that the characters and dialogue are realistic surpassing the one – dimension norm for the genre. The characters are credible in the sense that each has believable motivations for their actions. The Hood are motivated by their greed and the gold miners are motivated by their dreams. The credibility is thus intact with regards to the characters drives meaning that we now do not have to rely on suspension of disbelief as we witness the action unfold. The dialogue is in sync with each character. The Hood speaks with an educated tongue, but his desperation is apparent as the Preacher stands his ground. The miners speak with little sophistication thus reflecting their social status of the times. The Preacher speaks as we would expect ‘The Man With No Name' to speak. He is cool and rational and what little is said carries a lot of weight. The dialogue thus enhances the rich diversity of characters.

    Of special note is the casting. All the actors are well suited to their roles. Stockburn and his deputies are particularly memorable. The deputies look like they are all recruits from Hollywood B type action movies. This by no means understates their significance. Instead of playing their usual outlandish bad guys, they relied on their natural ability to exude devilish intent. They look cold, dark and menacing. There was no dialogue which accentuated their malevolence - talk did not interest them. They were there to do a job and small talk was meaningless. Their movements were slow and methodical thus adding to their character's coldness and creating tension as the harbinger's of death prepared to deal out their own brand of justice – the kind of justice that only dollars can buy. Although the screen time dedicated to these characters was limited, their impact was far greater.

    The casting of Stockburn as a Lee van Cleef look – alike was also very good. This could be construed as a lack of originality, but it was ideal for the story. He looks like a weathered, tough baddie, much in line with the impression we have of those times as provided by Hollywood, who had dealt with many situations such as these with a cool, ruthless hand. His dialogue, with assistance from a menacing voice, mirrors his appearance – hard and to the point.

    Eastwood is the archetypal ‘Man With No Name'. His natural coolness forms the basis for the character. He has the ability to limit his dialogue and communicate to the audience with the assistance of minimal body language the emotions of his character. The sharpening of a glare was all he needed to show that he was a man with a past who could be dangerous. This was vital to the character since it helped create the enigmatic figure that the Preacher was supposed to be.

    An indication of the craft of the movie is the scene where the Preacher starts to help his freind break the rock. The rock became an obstacle that they would have to overcome and they began to realise that if they pulled together, not only could they beat the rock, but the Hood as well. Scenes such as this elevated this movie beyond the Spaghetti Western. Attention had been paid to the story and gratuitous action was obviously never the intention. This is not to say that the movie lacked action, it means that action scenes were an integral part of the story and not as eye – candy offerings for a hormone charged audience.

    As well crafted as it is, it is not without flaws. The first is the scenes within the town. It is easy to tell that the town is a small set for the movie due to the camera angles. This became particularly evident when the Hood is trying to bribe the Preacher with an offer of a church in a rich town. This immediately draws attention to the shots within the town which thus highlights the flaw. I have not checked to see whether this is a consequence of a low budget, which would be feasible since Westerns were not as bankable at that time as they were in the past. Even with due consideration of this fact, the cinematographer could still have made more creative use of camera angles to negate this limiting factor.

    A more minor flaw is the how the character of Megan is used in the movie. The book has her name in the title which is indicative of the fact that the story is told through her eyes. The telling of a story through the eyes of a young innocent can add various dimensions to the story. The adventures that unfolds before her would have a greater impact on the audience since the struggles of a child will touch the audience more than that of an adults. People always sympathise for the young. It can add complexity to the story since a child's emotions and pre – conceptions will create more opportunity for conflict. There was effort made in this direction, but I feel that if Megan had been given more opportunity to tell the story from her perspective, the story would have been more emotive appeal.

    Westerns will always have an audience, although their popularity may fluctuate over time. The lawlessness of the times set the stage for good storytelling and unfortunately also poor storytelling. In the past, they concentrated on a Hollywood B style movie with characters existing as an excuse to pull a trigger in the outlawed West. This formula worked for a while, but the stories lacked the substance to withstand the test of time. This has led to the present situation where the few that have now been on offer have shown an increase in quality. This is probably due to the fact that the limitation in audience appeal has meant that the story has to be of solid value in order to attract the investors. As with all genres, they have actors that are naturally adept to the role. Eastwood was such a man for the Westerns. We now wait for his successor to carry on the legacy of ‘The Man With No Name'.
    helpful•59
    28
    • sjwest
    • Sep 28, 2003

    FAQ7

    • Why didn't Barret use another method to remove the boulder in the stream instead of trying to break it apart with a sledgehammer?
    • What is LaHood's business? Why did he want the prospectors land?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 28, 1985 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho, USA
    • Production company
      • The Malpaso Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 55 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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