Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood stars as a nameless stranger who rides into a small California Gold Rush town directly into the middle of a violent feud between a mining syndicate and a group of independent prospectors.
Though not officially claimed to be such, Pale Rider is a remake of the film Shane. Eastwood plays a mysterious preacher, who protects a mining town from attack from rivals who want to take it over. Pale Rider is gritty, powerful and tough, and Eastwood plays the preacher brilliantly as a man who can dish out action without a second thought when pushed to it. His performance isn't exactly radically different to those he's given before but that said Eastwood's charisma obviously still works and Eastwood equals if not betters the other Westerns he has made. Even if you're not a massive fan of the genre, Pale Rider should hook you in with its gripping and edgy story and the classic showdown at the end will certainly entertain.
Western directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.