Pale Rider (1985)
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A mysterious man known as the Preacher arrives in a mining camp to confront a ruthless mining baron.
The story
In the Old West, outside LaHood, California, in Carbon Canyon, mining baron Coy LaHood is waging a war of intimidation against independent prospectors and their families. When a man riding a pale horse, referred to as Preacher, arrives in the canyon, he intervenes to protect the miners from LaHood's intimidation. The local community, including a young girl named Megan who prayed for a miracle, looks to the mysterious stranger for protection against the mining baron's escalating tactics and the threat of a corrupt marshal, Stockburn, who is hired to clear the land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the Old West, mining baron Coy LaHood is intimidating independent prospectors in Carbon Canyon. When a mysterious man known as the Preacher arrives, he begins to protect the miners. After LaHood fails to bribe or threaten him, he hires a corrupt marshal named Stockburn to forcibly remove the miners. The Preacher, who possesses mysterious abilities and physical scars, eventually confronts Stockburn's men. In a final showdown, the Preacher kills all of Stockburn's deputies and Stockburn himself, who is struck by six bullets. Simultaneously, the miner Hull shoots LaHood dead. The Preacher then rides off toward the mountains as Megan expresses her gratitude.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clint Eastwood
- Writers
- Michael Butler · writer; Dennis Shryack · writer; Clint Eastwood · uncredited
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · the Preacher; Michael Moriarty; Carrie Snodgress; Christopher Penn; Richard Dysart; Sydney Penny; Richard Kiel; Doug McGrath; John Russell
- Genres
- Western; fantasy
- Themes
- divine retribution; faith
- Tone and mood
- spiritual; elegant
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Mining; Redemption
- Reception
- The film was well-received as a high-grossing Western of the 1980s, praised for its elegance and spiritual tone, though some critics found it slow.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 31; Metacritic · score: 61% · scale: percentage · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- American Film Institute's 10 Top 10 lists · Western nominations · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title refers to Death as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.; It was the first mainstream Hollywood Western produced after the failure of Heaven's Gate.; The film's dialogue parallels Paul the Apostle's teaching on divine retribution.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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