Pale Rider (1985)

My Review

“Pale Rider” is a classic western movie which tells the story of a major land owner using a band of hooligans to terrorize a town of gold miners. Director Clint Eastwood assembled this very high quality western dealing with a good vs. evil theme. The excellent screenplay was written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack.

The cast is headed, of course, by Clint Eastwood, who plays a mysterious stranger who comes to town and begins to confront the bullying tactics of the property owner, the heavy of the piece well portrayed by Richard Dysart. Co-stars include Carrie Snodgrass, Michael Moriarty, Chris Penn, Sydney Penny, Doug McGrath, Billy Drago, Jeffrey Weissman, Charles Hallahan, Terrence Evans, Marvin J. McIntire, John Russell as the marshal, Richard Kiel as Club, and Fran Ryan and Richard Hamilton as Ma and Pa Blankenship.

The very watchable “Pale Rider” was a big hit at the box office for producer Clint Eastwood, The Malpaso Company, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The excellent cinematography was well handled by Bruce Surtees. The location filming was in the stunning beauty of the Boulder Mountains and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho.