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Movies / On DVD / Pale Rider
Pale Rider

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Pale Rider (1985)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:22

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Westerns

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: A girl kneels over the grave of her murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint Eastwood's PALE RIDER was the filmmaker's first... A girl kneels over the grave of her murdered dog, praying for a miracle, while off in the distance, a man rides toward town on a pale horse. Clint Eastwood's PALE RIDER was the filmmaker's first Western in nearly a decade. It finds a pleasant balance between the mystical revisionism of films such as HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and the traditional Western. Eastwood stars as the Preacher, who wanders into a dusty California town and tries to rescue a community of gold prospectors that is being terrorized by the local corporate mining operation, which is strip-mining the land. He's taken in by Hull Barrett (Michael Moriarty), who lives with Sarah Wheeler (Carrie Snodgrass) and her 14-year-old daughter, she of the murdered pooch, Megan (Sydney Penny). The Preacher is something of a blend of Eastwood's Man with No Name and the title character of George Stevens's SHANE. The story and treatment are straightforward and entertaining, and the strong performances draw the audience in. The Preacher remains a mysterious character, but in the end, as he takes on the evil mining corporation's hired guns, it's impossible not to root for him. [More]

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel

Director: Clint Eastwood

Director: Clint Eastwood

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Pale Rider

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Pale Rider does nothing to disprove the wisdom that this genre is best left to the revival houses. A double feature of Shane and Eastwood's High Plains Drifter will do just fine, thanks.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/26/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine

It had been so long since a quality western had hit America's screens that it appears as if Eastwood purposely set out to remind audiences of all the elements that make the genre work.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
10/26/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's all been seen before, but Eastwood serves it up with authority, fine craftsmanship and a frequent sense of fun.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/26/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

His saddle bag is a mixed one, though Pale Rider still has the touch of quality associated with latter-day Eastwood. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
09/12/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

...who else would you want coming to your rescue than the Preacher Man With No Name?

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
09/01/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

It's a lightweight, easygoing affair, reminiscent of some of Hawks' or Ford's lesser Westerns.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/16/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Eastwood's mythic Western divided film critics: Some were baffled by the audacity of his playing a religious figure, while others claimed he was just embodying the mysterious knight-stranger, a common character in classic Westerns.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
06/20/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It's good to be back in the saddle again.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Not Clint's best western, but entertaining enough.

comment Comment
07/14/05
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A severely underrated western, one of Eastwood's most stylish.

comment Comment
03/31/05
James Plath
James Plath
DVDTown.com

Clint's return to westerns is just ok.

comment Comment
12/18/04
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

One of Eastwood's best oaters

comment Comment
10/24/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

[Eastwood] understands so well how he works on the screen that the movie has a resonance that probably was not even there in the screenplay.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Clint Eastwood stars as the mysterious stranger who arrives in a town and challenges the citizens to fight evil.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/22/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A lesser Western by Eastwood's standards, but many a filmmaker would consider this a career high point.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

I'm just now beginning to realize that, though Mr. Eastwood may have been improving over the years, it's also taken all these years for most of us to recognize his very consistent grace and wit as a filmmaker.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

See it if you haven't.

comment Comment
04/24/03
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

Eastwood in fine form.

comment Comment
04/13/03
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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