7.3/10
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Pale Rider (1985)

A | | Drama, Western | 28 June 1985 (USA)
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1:10 | Trailer
A mysterious preacher (Clint Eastwood) protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.

Director:

Clint Eastwood
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3,464 ( 1,685)
2 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood ... Preacher
Michael Moriarty ... Hull Barret
Carrie Snodgress ... Sarah Wheeler
Chris Penn ... Josh LaHood (as Christopher Penn)
Richard Dysart ... Coy LaHood
Sydney Penny ... Megan Wheeler
Richard Kiel ... Club
Doug McGrath ... Spider Conway
John Russell ... Stockburn
Charles Hallahan ... McGill
Marvin J. McIntyre ... Jagou
Fran Ryan ... Ma Blankenship
Richard Hamilton ... Jed Blankenship
Graham Paul Graham Paul ... Ev Gossage
Chuck Lafont Chuck Lafont ... Eddie Conway (as Chuck LaFont)
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Storyline

A gold mining camp in the California foothills is besieged by a neighboring landowner intent on stealing their claims. A preacher (Clint Eastwood) rides into camp and uses all of his powers of persuasion to convince the landowner to give up his attacks on the miners. Written by David J. Kiseleski <davidk269@aol.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Hell comes home See more »

Genres:

Drama | Western

Certificate:

A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Warren Clarke said in an interview with TV Times that he was offered a role in this movie. See more »

Goofs

When Barret throws a stick of dynamite into the tent, it lands near the front of the tent. The explosion comes from inside the tent. After the explosion the lit fuse of the thrown dynamite can clearly be seen. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Megan Wheeler: Lindsey.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The credit for catering just says "The Caterers" (including the quotation marks in the credit). See more »

Connections

Referenced in Brimstone (2016) See more »

User Reviews

 
You can't beat a good bit of Hickory.
27 July 2008 | by hitchcockthelegendSee all my reviews

The opening to Pale Rider is just excellent, at first all is calm and serene, but then the peace is shattered by the thundering of hooves. A group of men employed by Coy LaHood, tear thru a small mining community, shooting guns and trampling over all in their way. During this callous act of bullying, one of the men shoots and kills young Megan's dog. When Megan buries her beloved pet, she calls to god to send someone to help them against the greedy LaHood, because LaHood is intent on stripping the locals of their claims, and he literally will stop at nothing to get them. Later on Megan is reading from the bible, she reads aloud to her mother about "beholding a pale horse and that the man who sat on it was death", we then see a lone horseman riding towards this under fire place...

Behold the pale horse because the man that sat on him was Clint Eastwood! And that's all you really want to know as regards what drives the film on. It had been quite some time since the movie watching world had witnessed a damn good Western, so it is obvious that Eastwood, knowing the genre inside out, felt it time to remind all and sundry about this engrossing genre and all its little peccadilloes. Riffing on his own High Plains Drifter from 1973 and homaging Shane in the process, Eastwood again uses supernatural leanings to play out this intriguing tale. Pale Rider works well because Eastwood cares for the genre so much, no frame is wasted and the acting on show delivers the necessary amount of quality to enhance the picture's impact. From the thundering opening to the gorgeous final shot, Pale Rider is an expertly crafted Western that still holds up today as a great entry on Eastwoods CV. Pale Rider. 8/10


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1985 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Le cavalier solitaire See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$6,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,119,111, 30 June 1985

Gross USA:

$41,410,568

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,410,568
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Malpaso Company See more »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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