[6]

Eastwood directs and stars in this Western tale of revenge. The most interesting thing about Pale Rider is the mysterious nature of Eastwood’s character, a preacher/gunfighter who enters a mining colony’s life in answer to a young girl’s prayer. The film suggests he might be a ghost, and without this ambiguity, the movie is pretty standard genre fare. Bruce Surtees gets kudos for making the most out of natural lighting. It’s not a glamorous-looking film, but it does feel more authentic than most Westerns. Michael Moriarty is good (understated as usual) as one of the miners. Look for giant Richard Kiel (Jaws from Moonraker) as one of the baddies. With Chris Penn and Richard Dysart.