Rating: 
Summary: Eastwood's Best Film
Review: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6:8). We hear the first sentence of this verse with the appearance of the Pale Rider in the camp of miners; the second sentence is not read but is present throughout the film, and its silence is why many misunderstand and fail to comprehend the significance of the appearance of the angel of death and its meaning for the film. "Around the hero everything becomes a tragedy; around the demigod, a satyr-play; and around God everything becomes--what? perhaps a 'world'?--" (Nietzsche, _Beyond Good and Evil_). Pale Rider is a concealed satyr-play posing as a tragedy that takes place in the world of God. It is not surprising that this ironic or dissimulating aspect of the film very often escapes attention, for that is the nature of irony.
Pale Rider is an obvious simulacrum of Shane. As others have pointed out, miners do not generate as much sympathy as homesteading farmers. What is missed by those who believe this, however, is that the film is pointing deliberately, although subtly, to the violence necessarily consequent when a political community imposes by law and, if necessary, force, the American faith in anthropological equality. Obviously these people are not equal, just as they were not in Shane. The dramatic religious setting and background images the order of rank, the hierarchy, of souls of human beings in various states and degrees of need or lack. The film also points to the connection between the modern exaltation of courage--combined with the equal right to pursue mastery of other humans--and an over-indulgence in violence and vulgarity. It is striking that there is a complete lack of moderation in the souls represented herein; there is no moderation of the satisfaction of personal desire. The miners tell themselves that they are more righteous than LaHood because they are trying to better their families. Of course there is the hint this is merely cover for the personal greed of the miners, made evident by their crude and braggadocios behavior after finding some gold. It still breaks down to love of one's own without moderation--a refusal to recognize natural limits. Even the women who implore their men to avoid violence do so only to avoid personal pain. This is the meaning of the unspoken second sentence of Revelation 6:8 which is ever present in the film: all seem to believe it is given to them, as sovereign individuals, to rule as they wish with sword, beasts, machines, etc., and this appears to be a necessary result of the modern desire to turn the juridical notion of equality before the law into a metaphysical doctrine of justice (the Rawlsian spirit writ large). Liberty and equality have turned into freedom from self-restrainst and a rejection of order and rank, which has resulted in moral bankruptcy. Our way of life in America is supposed to be based on the Enlightenment principle of reason; instead a crass individualism has devolved out of the theory of the social contract and its emphasis on self-interest with the practical effect of leveling all hierarchies and unleashing the destructive forces of unmitigated passion, always in the name of equal rights. Thus the film evinces a Nietzschean interpretation of this phenomenon as the spirit of revenge and the dawn of the era of the Last Man. In sum we are made to see that a political community ruled by the passions of the demos is by nature vulgar. All grand purposes and virtues have been muted in favor of the self-expression of even the lowest capacities. Every child in school is taught that it is better to be creative than virtuous in the classical sense.
How are we to react to the fact that the Pale Rider guns down seven (and here we are being asked to associate the number seven with the seven seals in Revelation) men so that miners can make money and fulfill their hearts' desires? How are we to view the people who admire the man who actualized the spirit of revenge that they themselves wanted to enact but lacked the courage to carry out? Given the dramatic context of the film, I suggest we are to view these as examples of the nature of man as a Fallen creature. Whence Eastwood's emphasis on the Biblical themes of the evil of man and the avenging angel of death, not only in this film, but really in most of his films, and especially his Westerns. I say this not to join the contemporary view that the West was somehow bad. For contemporary America is based on the same principle inasmuch as those who say the West was bad do so from the perspective that it fell short of the utopian dream of equality. It is the attempt to inculcate and enforce the metaphysical doctrine of justice as equality that has disastorously damaging effects on the human soul, not the belief in, and desire to maintain, principles of hierarchy of the good. This is what Pale Rider the film can teach us, and what those who view it too narrowly--as a simple Western tale of the Stranger saving the little guys from the big guys--miss. "Has it escaped your notice, that--by Homer's account--you are bringing not a stranger but some god? He says that besides the other deities the god of strangers especially becomes a companion to those men who participate in just reverence, and that 'he looks down upon both outrages and lawful conduct' [cf. _Odyssey_ 9.269-271 and _Odyssey_ 17.485-487]. So perhaps here too the stranger that accompanies you might be among the Mightier, come to look over us and refute us, since we are feeble at giving accounts--a sort of refuting god" (Plato, Sophist 216a-b).
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent movie...okay DVD
Review: 4 stars for the movie "Pale Rider". Yes, it is very "Shane"like. True, it is not the very best Clint Eastwood movie out there. Yet, overall it is a very involving movie. The scenes are gorgeous (some of the scenes could easily be Ansel Adams stills if they were in Black and White). The plot, while borrowed at several points from other classic westerns, is straight forward and good. It is a film that you can watch and watch again.3 stars for the DVD. It just doesn't offer that much more than a VHS. Obviously the picture and sound quality are better but the "Special Features" are just average. Get the DVD because the quality of the film is better but don't expect the "extras" to blow you away. Overall the DVD of Pale Rider is 3 1/2 stars (in my opinion).
Rating:
Summary: Pale Rider - Melodramatic but very powerful!
Review: After almost a full decade away from the western genre, Clint Eastwood was presented with the script for this melodramatic but very powerful western. Taking up his usual roles as producer, director and of course star, Eastwood handles each role admirably and ultimately put a classic western on the silver screen and the home theater screen. Of particular note is the score for the film, which but for the beginning and the end of the film is almost nonexistent but very ominous and powerful when present. The premise: Welcome to Carbon Creek California where a group of tin pan miners are demoralized and ready to quit due to the efforts of mining boss Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) and his men. In what can only be described as prophetic, after the opening sequence, young Megan (Sydney Penny) is burying her dog, praying for a miracle and we see the Preacher (Clint Eastwood) riding into town. We then see Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty) riding into town despite warnings about what happened to him the last time he went there. In classic Eastwood style, Barret is being beaten brutally in the middle of town and Eastwood as the stranger saves the day. What follows may not be Eastwood's best western of his career but it certainly has a very intriguing and poignant plot that is quite memorable. I would highly recommend this film to die hard Eastwood fans or the casual western fan as I believe you will find yourself pleasantly surprised by this film. {ssintrepid} Special Features: Production notes: A text script written by Eastwood about directing and the standard actors list with their credits. Theatrical trailers: Pale Rider and Unforgiven
Rating:
Summary: The Start of the Comeback Trail for Westerns
Review: After many years of box office failures, the Western was deemed dead by Hollywood. No one would touch a western feeling that the genre had run its course and the public had mossied along. They were all wrong. Leave it to Clint Eastwood to revive a dead horse. This is different from most westerns. It's smart, warm, and very grown up. No killins for glory, no damsels in distress. Real life situations, and common folk. Sort of like a country song from Kenny Rogers, enjoyable and simple. Clint also directed this movie and it shows his flair for cinema. If it weren't for this, there wouldn't have been a "Tombstone" or an "Unforgiven." This is a gem well worth owning. It's one of Clint's best works, on and off screen.
Rating:
Summary: Its good to be back in the saddle.
Review: After taking ten years off to mess about with a chimp, a hi-tech jet figter and a bloody great magnum, Clint returned to familiar territory for the far less sinister flip side to High Plains Drifter.Having delivered a career's worth of classic movies, he gives us another one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best, but still pretty good
Review: Although most reviewers site this film as a remake of SHANE, Eastwood is really returning to the storyline of his own 1972 film HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, but minus that film's brutality and, unfortunately, its single-mindedness. PALE RIDER has a difficult time finding its center: is it Eastwood's "Preacher" or Michael Moriarty's settler? Although the weakest of the quartet of Westerns Clint directed, it's still entertaining and beautifully shot, and the sequence where seven assassins gun a miner down in the street is memorable.
Rating:
Summary: Pale Rider
Review: Although Pale Rider is one of my favourite Clint Eastwood movies, I have to admit that it could have been much better. As in The Outlaw Josey Wales and High Plains Drifter, for example, we have a protagonist who is haunted by a past injustice, an injustice which he strives to rectify through the barrell of a gun. Unfortunately, in Pale Rider, the score between Stockburn and Preacher is much too vague, and so instead of adding to mystery, the viewer is left somewhat baffled. Over all, though, the movie is still very good, and definitely entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie Bad DVD
Review: Although the story is almost identical to Shane, no one makes a better western than Clint. This one completes my Clint Eastwood western trilogy. While this ranks third behind The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven, it is still one of the best westerns ever made. The movie is intense and all the actors do a great job. The DVD copy is not great. The surround sound is great but the picture flutters quite a bit.
Rating:
Summary: an atmospheric story
Review: Climbing back into the saddle after a nine year break from Westerns Clint Eastwood shows us he is the best in the business when it comes to this genre.In this outing he takes not only to the saddle but to the Directors chair,and the result is a visually spectacular and wholly atmospheric story.
The setting is Northern California,1860,(though the film was actually shot on location in Idaho's Sawtooth National Park)and centres around a group of gold-miners in a place called Carbon Canyon,the last area of land where mining mogul Coy LaHood(Richard Dysart) hasn't been able to set up his land-scarring hydraulic monitors.Even after numerous raids by his workers the stubborn 'tin panners' refuse to leave.But their resolve is waning.
A young girl(Sydney Penny),strong in her faith,prays for a miracle after a particulary brutal raid one morning.Enter Clint Eastwood.
I have watched this movie many times and still I am unsure of Clints character.And that's why this movie works.His aloof and mysterious 'Preacher',all the way through,begs the question is he real or is he a ghost?A suggestive script opens doors to this mans past but he himself coyly skirts around any direct answers with a dry mono-syllabic dialogue as to his true identity.He becomes an enigma to us,while outwardly to the miners of Carbon Canyon he becomes a savior in a clerical collar who seems to know how to use a six-shooter to full effect.
The two main female characters,Sarah Wheeler(Carrie Snodgress) and her daughter Megan(Sydney) are drawn to this lone stranger which causes a somewhat awkward sub-plot to the story but I feel it is entirely plausible and makes you really understand what motivates these two richly drawn characters.Alot of the female roles in Westerns are one-dimensional,Sarah and Megan are anything but.
After negotiations fail between LaHood and the tin-pans Coy enlists the services of a corrupt Marshal(the late John Russell) and his six Deputies to rid the canyon of this troublesome Preacher.The showdown is set,and amidst the spectacular backdrop of the snow swept mountains and an eerie wind that you can almost feel the Preacher drops the Deputies one by one as they hunt for him in the small town of LaHood.Then he finally reveals himself to the Marshal,who up til now has had his suspicions as to his identity."But the man I'm thinking of is dead" he tells Coy earlier in the scene.
As the Preacher lifts his head,the shadow of his hat-brim taking flight and revealing a stubbled face with cold penetrating eyes Marshal Stockburn is clearly shocked."You!" he stammers.And here we realise that indeed these two men have met before and a few pieces of the puzzle fall into place as to the Preachers history,but somehow he remains as enigmatic as ever.
This story is just that well written.
If you haven't seen this movie I won't spoil it by explaining the ending,but it is reminiscient of Shane in some respects.I highly recommend this classic Western,by far,in my opinion,the best one ever made.
Rating:
Summary: High Non redux
Review: Clint Eastwood appears - looms - in this gritty Western in the cowboy tradition of High Noon and Shane. Eastwood also directed Pale Rider, a movie in which he's known only as Preacher, because when he appears in town, he's wearing a clerical collar. Hard for the beleaguered miners (who are being terrorized by a smarmy land-grabbing tycoon and his band of local baddies) to figure out at first is whether Eastwood is a good guy or a bad guy. There's the requisite pretty woman and adoring child who belong to one of the miners, and it gives Eastwood to prove his intensions are high-minded.
Classic Eastwood, classic cowboy, classic classic.
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