Clint Eastwood is one of the most iconic names in Hollywood and his vast filmography is proof of why. He’s one of those actors where if you go to see one of his movies then you often know what you’re going to get out of it once it begins. That’s not to say he hasn’t had some misses throughout his career, or strayed from what we would view as his comfort zone (the gruff cowboy/tough guy) to try his hand at comedy or romance; however, as a whole Eastwood has built a reputation off of often being a character of few words and intense action – and Pale Rider is no exception to the rule.
Made in 1985, Pale Rider was Eastwood’s lone western of the decade, but it was also the highest grossing of the genre in that ten year period. Eastwood also takes his equally famous spot behind the camera in this film as well, while also taking the reins as producer. The film is about a stranger who wanders through town as a group of men are beating up a simple prospector from a nearby village. He takes out the thugs and is offered a roof and place to stay for as long as he likes by the prospector in return. It’s there that they find out that this stranger is actually a preacher, which is what he’s called throughout the film from that point on.
The thugs, it turns out, are members of a greedy prospector named LaHood, who owns the majority of the surrounding land and aims to run these villagers off their land so he can claim it as his own. When he finds out that there’s a preacher in the group he tells his men to take it up a notch, as the preacher will give them faith and that will cause them to buckle down instead of go running. So Preacher is now the guardian of the village in true Eastwood fashion. Fans will likely enjoy his usual delivery here, and Preacher is a fun enough character for anyone to get behind, even if this is your first foray into Eastwood’s work.
One thing with Pale Rider is that it feels like it could’ve gone dark really quick. I mean, it begins with LaHood’s gang riding in and destroying parts the village, killing livestock and even shooting a young girl’s dog. This young lady is 14-year-old Megan Wheeler, played by Sydney Penny, who is a standout in the movie, and after she buries her dog she wishes for a miracle to protect them. The next day Preacher shows up so she takes it as a sign and believes he’s their saviour. But during the scene where Preacher rescues Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty), the prospector who was being beaten on in town, it’s kind of wacky. They’re all using axe handles to beat on Hull so Preacher grabs his own and goes on to disarm them all while doing spinning moves with the handle in his hands. I don’t think it’s meant to be silly, but it at least doesn’t age overly well and comes off much more lighthearted than the film began.
This back and forth between serious moments and lighter – even comedic – moments continues throughout the films almost two-hour runtime, so it does give the movie a bit of an odd tempo in terms of how serious we’re supposed to take things. By no means is this supposed to be Unforgiven levels of vengeance, but LaHood isn’t a good man, his son is incredibly evil and tries to force himself on Megan at one point while the rest of LaHood’s gang stands around cheering, and the third act of the film is quite violent, so it just sends mixed messages when it comes to the emotional tempo of the story.
There’s nothing wrong with mixing humour, action, violence and vengeance, but when it seems somewhat goofy early on in terms of the fight sequences and then goes as dark as it slowly does, it’s somewhat jarring. I feel like the second half of the film is what most will be there to see, with the action picking up and Eastwood not holding back as much when it comes to the violence, and I think the film as a whole would be stronger if the first half kept a more serious tone to match it. It can still get its point across, it doesn’t have to be a dark and moody western, but to go from a dog being shot to a spinning axe handle fight to hitting a giant man in the nether region with a sledge hammer and then walking him back to his horse while consoling him all the way to cold blooded murder in the street, attempted sexual assault of a minor and then a vengeful shootout just doesn’t flow together as easily as a story like this should.
In terms of Eastwood films, this one is by-the-numbers with Eastwood hitting his marks, giving off his cool tough-guy vibes and delivering the goods as a whole in terms of what most audiences would expect. Pale Rider doesn’t try to stand out in the crowd, and while the character of Preacher is an intriguing one, I don’t feel he was truly done justice in this outing. Still, it’s entertaining enough if you can forgive the scattered tone, and for Eastwood fans I’m sure it’s a no-brainer to see this 4K offering mosey on into your collection.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
If there’s one thing Pale Rider truly has going for it it’s that you’ll have never seen it look better than you will here in 4K unless you saw it on the big screen back in the day. Yes, Warner Bros. has nailed it here with this 2160p/HDR10 transfer. It’s a gorgeous looking film, as Eastwood once again collaborates with cinematographer Bruce Surtees, who has helped give Eastwood’s film their signature look throughout the years. The shadows and lighting and attention to detail all shine through beautifully here, with fantastic scenic shots and just such a wonderful focus on bringing this world to life in a realistic and natural way. These restorations by Warner Bros. are what fans of film hope is the final product when a studio looks to bring an old classic to the modern age.
We’ve also got a Dolby Atmos track here that takes that superbly lit world and brings it to life all around us, with a surround sound that sees bullets ping all around, explosions going off left and right, horses galloping across the room and voices ringing through unaffected front and center. Fans are going to be thrilled with what Warner Bros. is offering here with their latest Eastwood offerings, so be prepared to pick up all three – or simply your favourites of the bunch. In the end, you can’t go wrong.
Special Features:
We’ve got a trio of new special features that haven’t been released on any Eastwood disc prior, as well as a couple of hefty documentaries that fans will welcome to have all in one place.
The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons From the Set – Here we have an interview with Penny, who talks about working with Eastwood, how her audition was like no other she’d ever had, and just a look into her whole experience on set in this quick, but nice to have featurette that comes in at almost 7-and-a-half minutes.
Painting the Preacher: The Cinematography of Pale Rider – At just over 8-and-a-half minutes we’ve got what will become the usual cast and crew from these new special features here talking about the cinematography of the film, and how Eastwood and Surtees had to work with some constraints at times when it came to budget and what they were offered for the film.
Reinventing Westerns – This is an almost 18-minute feature that is also on The Outlaw Josey Wales 4K release, and we get to hear from various people who know Eastwood and have worked with him or admired him over the years, and talk about how much he’s brought to the genre and just how iconic his status is when it comes to westerns.
Legacy Special Features:
Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story – Here we’ve got a documentary on Eastwood that’s just over an hour that fans will love if they’ve yet to see it. Even if you have, it’s always great to have things together on the same discs instead of constantly having to shuffle around to find them if you want to watch them.
The Eastwood Factor – Lastly, we’ve got another feature on Eastwood that is over 90-minutes in length! If you want to learn about Eastwood and his mark on Hollywood, these two features will help you do so.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Pale Rider. Directed by: Clint Eastwood. Written by: Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Sydney Penny, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn, Richard Dysart, John Russel. Running time: 115 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: April 29, 2025.
