High Plains Drifter Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
They'd never forget the day he drifted into town.
They didn't know his face - They didn't know his name. But they'd never forget the day he drifted into town.
A mysterious gunfighter without a name rides across the desert landscape and arrives in the mining town beside the sea "Lago" to stay for the night. After gunning down three desperado's who tried to kill him, the town hires the gunfighter to help defend the town from three murderous outlaws, Stacey Bridges, Bill Borders and Cole Carlin who have been released from jail after they brutally whipped to death the town's local lawman Marshal Jim Duncan who is in his grave with a unmarked gravestone, the three outlaws set out to return to "Lago" to get their vengeance. Can the mysterious gunfighter without a name stop the three outlaws?
| Clint Eastwood | The Stranger |
| Verna Bloom | Sarah Belding |
| Marianna Hill | Callie Travers |
| Mitch Ryan | Dave Drake |
| Jack Ging | Morgan Allen |
| Stefan Gierasch | Mayor Jason Hobart |
| Ted Hartley | Lewis Belding |
| Billy Curtis | Mordecai |
| Geoffrey Lewis | Stacey Bridges, Outlaw |
| Scott Walker | Bill Borders, Outlaw |
| Walter Barnes | Sheriff Sam Shaw |
| Paul Brinegar | Lutie Naylor |
| Richard Bull | Asa Goodwin |
| Robert Donner | Preacher |
| John Hillerman | Bootmaker |
| Clint Eastwood |
7.50 out of 10 (8644 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Haunting, Riveting, Ruthless, Convicting
posted on 16 Aug 2009Located on the coast of southern California in the days of the Western Territory, the town of Lago stood idly by when their marshall, Jim Duncan, was brutally whipped to death before their eyes. The three scoundrals that did it are soon to be released from territorial prison and revenge is certain to be on their minds. The town hires the quick gun and ruthless gaze of Clint Eastwood, stranger with no name, to protect them.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold". And that's what we get in High Plains Drifter. Clint plays the ruthless, cold-hearted killer with a quick draw and a sharp eye for pretty women. He intends to serve up a dose of justice, Clint Eastwood style, to this weak-kneed community lacking backbone and a conscience. And, whie he's at it, deliver a little something to the scoundrels who killed Jim Duncan. What transpires draws the viewer into the showdown with all the high drama of Eastwood's better-known westerns.
The movie is very entertaining and certainly makes its point. You gotta love Clint in this old western role.
Not one of Clint's best efforts
posted on 12 Aug 2009High Noon, with a similar tale of villains released from prison hell bent to shoot up a town, did it much better.Clint has done better things with Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josie Wales and The Unforgiven where he plays the same Eastwood avenging character.The film had some good one-liners and moody photography especially towards the end when the town was burning.The music conveyed a sense of impending menace but the town of Lago really did look like an artificial film-set.Not one of the best Westerns but I've seen it several times now and have not fallen asleep - which is indeed a recommendation!
Classic Western
posted on 03 Aug 2009Nothing really, at least in my opinion, matches an old Clint Eastwood western. You know what to expect; violent interludes, smart talking and of course, smart shooting. Well, it's back to basics here: Sombre, yet good guy Clint, is a drifter, who "happens" to stumble across a small little town in the west that, surprisingly, (for those times) knows very little about guns, or self defence. So, it's a blessing from God when gun-smart Eastwood comes in, teaches them how to defend, and in reward for his efforts, gets anything he wants on the house. But, cleverly, as well as helping them, he exposes them, for the nasty, brutish, greedy people they really are. In his mind (unkown to the rest) he's only there to kill off the three guys who bull whipped the "Marshal" to death all that time ago. Brilliant. That's the word that pretty much correctly describes this piece of cinema. It's brutal, ugly work, venturing further into the horrible times of the west- but it's a clever, groundbreaking piece of cinema nevertheless. **** out of **** (4 out of 4)
Ghost Rider - Supreme Cool
posted on 03 Aug 2009Is it a spaghetti western? Is it a ghost story? It's both and much much more. You get the sense of isolation that small-town oupost America brings - even feeling the heat of the day. With psychological twists and sub stories within each of the main characters and these characters trying to hang onto the chaos that The Stranger brings the movie is enthralling from titles to credits. Not as many gun-fighting scenes and certainly not a "pistols-at-high-noon cowboy" this is a movie I would call a classic. Unforgiven is a Pale Rider in comparison to this.
Welcome to Hell, no actually its Lago!!!
posted on 16 Jul 2009A mysteriously callous stranger (Clint Eastwood) rides out of the desert into a small town called Lago and terrifies the locals by raping a lady and treading over the townsfolk, but when he kills three cowboys who wanted to make something out of nothing. The inhabitants are grateful that he freed them, but then they try to hire him to protect from three more cowboys who will return back to town when they finish their jail sentence in the next day or two. The stranger refuses the offer at first but when they tell him he can take anything for free and have power over the town he accepts the offer. Through this power he changes things around in town for his pleasure and this causes disruption amongst the locals who seem to regret hiring him.Oh, I just love this bewildering film and I can't get enough of it! What we get here is a brutally mystical revenge western by Director/Star Clint Eastwood. I was totally mesmerised by it and Eastwood's direction is on the boil by capturing a strong essence of charm and also discomfort. It has a lot of elements going for it that it makes you (well, me) want to watch it over and over again. That's probably a good idea too, as thorough symbolisms and blinding supernatural occurrences fill the cryptic story. Some you might pick up on, while others don't seem to standout but are hidden under the material. Those enigmatic factors really keep your full interest, as the plot is played out very well with an eerie beginning that just pulls you in and then it ends with such a cunning conclusion. Before we get to the conclusion the haunting climax definitely builds sheer dread and packs bite with its visuals… a lot of bite! There's not much action in the film, but the story's subplots is what guides it and slowly builds the questions. You just wonder - There's got to be more to this new stranger in town and the townsfolk seemed to be keeping some hidden secret (or sin) behind close doors? The more the story builds on those the queries the less you seem to worry about the lack of gunfights and brawls. You actually start to read more into these mysteries when some of the questions are answered towards the end. Though, also watching the stranger toy around with the (guilty) townsfolk is pretty riveting stuff.Another feature that blows you away would be how atmospheric it does get, with a pounding and alienating score that ticks away with its high pitch and howling sounds. These just added more unease to Eastwood's character when he was on screen with this humming score in the background. It just holds such an inspiring awe with its striking rigorous and desolated backdrop that went hand-to-hand with the brood horror and hell that follows the town's inhabitants. Engrossing scenery fills the back-shot with its vast mountains ranges and open spaces of dirt and rocks. One thing that stood out for me was the quieter moments, when it focused on body language and facial expressions to portray emotions. This really added to the alarming mood and a fairly sparse script was incredibly effective in making it highly-strung. Even the uneasy sound effects are used to great effect, especially in a particular nightmare scene. Violence is pretty much in your face and at times rather brutal, but Eastwood paces it superbly and fits it into the story. The humour that fills the story is a bit of a variety as sometimes there would be some subtle and dry humour, but then again when the dwarf was on screen it seems to play more as a loud joke. Steady camera-work is evident with plenty angle shots from behind and above and the occasional zoom. The texture of the film's material and powerful visuals is real moody, daring and it has a fairly cold-hearted tone to it all. It just leaves you with such an empty feeling.Performance wise the cast was nothing but top-grade. Dauntingly malevolent is a good way to describe Eastwood persona as the mysterious stranger, in which he gives a typically first-rate and hypnotic performance (as usual). Is he some sort of Revenging Angel or a ghost of the past? This is what you ask. But anti-hero definitely comes to mind. The supporting cast is exceptional with the likes of the Verna Bloom, Billy Curtis, Marianna Hill, Mitch Ryan, Stefan Gierasch and Jack Ging.This is one spellbinding semi-supernatural Western!
The Best Western of All Time
posted on 11 Jun 2009Westerns come and some stay. Clint's work stays. I was completely blown away by this movie and still am. High Planes Drifter and Pale Rider are my two most favorite westerns. There is no Polyanna tied to the tracks in this movie. No Duddly Doright. Just Dick Dasterdly with an attitutude. This is a movie about the guilt that a town shares over the death of their marshall. The town creates the marshall's avenger and they are blown away (literally) by the depths of their anguish. Nothing like this had ever been done before. An unbelievable jaw-dropping experience. This movie should have won an academy award.
Clint Eastwood's Signature Film!
posted on 04 Jun 2009Of all of his westerns, his performance in 'Drifter was time and again the movie that, unarguably to me, defined his career. From the opening minutes when he rides into town, and coolly walks up to the bar, to the time he vaporizes into thin air when the credits roll, his performance in this film was gritty, flawless and truly Eastwood. Another quality to the movie is it's blend of atmosphere and story, no wonder why its played over and over again on TV. I remember watching it for the first time when I was around 12 (1985) I was very impressionable then and I remember how cool it was to watch Clint go thru his motions during the movie. Nobody knew his name or where he came from, and he didn't oblige them by making them guess throughout the movie. He shot his gun with lethal accuracy when anyone gave him trouble, and was noncommittal to the cowardly townsfolk who wanted his help to take care of the outlaws released from jail. He did things his own way. Those are just some of the reasons why I gave this film 9 stars out of a perfect 10.
Minor classic in the man against the mob genre
posted on 21 Apr 2009"It's what people see inside themselves that makes them afraid" intones Jim Duncan (or his living ghost) as he climbs out of the bed of the woman he has just "enjoyed". A man of honour who seeks revenge on a whole town who stood by while he was apparently whipped to death by guns hired to kill him because he would not hide the fact the town was mining illegally on government property, Clint Eastwood is brilliant as is the magic photography of Bruce Surtees. All who deserve it get their come-uppance and one of the final images of Clint standing in front of a wall of flame is straight out of the course Old Testament Revenge 101. A minor classic of the genre.
The Man With No Name has returns as an avenging angel of death!
posted on 15 Apr 2009The exotic location in the desert, near Lake Mono in the California Sierras, certainly gives the film a fresh and refined look among Westerns...The sparkling colors of the backgrounds and the changing cloud formations gave effective shots...The film has certainly the most dramatic opening sequence of any Western...
Through the burning desert, Bruce Surtees' lens discovers a lone horseman.... The camera pans with the horseman to reveal a small town by a lake-lagoon... The horseman rides in, the camera tracking behind him, interrupted with faces of suspicious locals - even a coffin maker with his merchandises - and instantly one is reminded of Sergio Leone and his faithful reproduction of Kurosawa... A coach driver cracks the whip... The horseman turns, and moves back... He enters a bar and asks for 'a beer and a bottle.' A town heavy intervenes: 'Flea-bitten range-bums don't usually stop in Lago. Life here is a little too quick for them. Maybe you think you're fast enough to keep up with us!' The drifter replies: 'I'm faster than you'll ever live to be!'
True to his promise, the Stranger kills the 'trouble shooter' and his two friends, and also rapes the town belle who responds as any Eastwood feminine victim is obliged to, with resistance turning strangely to joy... The town midget, Mordecai (Billy Curtis) offers him a cigar inquiring: 'What did you say your name was again?' The hardened Stranger replies: 'I didn't!'
The Man With No Name has returned, this time, quite literally, with a vengeance... His dictatorship is flavored with cool humor... The name Billy Borders is mentioned to him...'Don't know the man,' he confesses.'You didn't have much time to,' comes the reply, 'because you shot him yesterday.'
When his rape victim, Callie Travers (Mariana Hill) inaccurately empties a pistol at him during his bath, he casually resurfaces, cigar still in his mouth, and in an aside to his sidekick, Mordecai, reflects: 'I wonder what took her so long to get mad?' His fellow chauvinist suggests, 'Maybe because you didn't come back for more.'
The townsfolk accedes to the Stranger's requests, who pushes them to the limit, even forcing them to paint the entire town blood red... 'When we get down,' says one of them, 'this place is going to look like hell.'
This is the Stranger's intention; he takes a brush and strokes out the name 'Logo' on the town sign and writes 'Hell' instead.
In a series of flashbacks, primarily from the Stranger's point of view and later from Mordecai's, it is revealed that the townsfolk stood by and let three men whip their Marshal to death... The Marshal had discovered that the basis of the town's prosperity, a mine, was actually on government land and not on the townspeople's own. He was going to report this, so no-one felt obliged to intervene when he met his vicious end... His body now was lying outside the town in an unmarked grave: 'They say the dead don't rest without a marker of some kind... he's the reason this town's afraid of strangers.'
Now they have reason to be afraid of the three men who paid the price for the crime in which they all agreed... The Stranger analyzes this fear: 'It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid.' The town reaction to his is reserved... A group of vigilantes try to kill him... The Stranger repays them with a stick of dynamite... Despite their training, the remaining locals are horrified when they realize that he does not intend to remain for the final showdown...
"High Plains Drifter" is one of the most important Westerns ever made, and when Eastwood takes his rightful place in film history alongside Cooper and Stewart and Wayne, this is the film that will be seen as the quintessential example of his art...
"Urghh, He Sure Had A Lot of Blood Left In Him, Didn't He?"
posted on 04 Mar 2009'High Plains Drifter' is my very favourite Eastwood movie (and that's saying something). I especially like the dark humour and ambiguity, but in truth, there's not much I don't like.
You just know something bad is gonna happen as soon as you see him appearing through the desert heat-haze in the eerie title sequence and by the time the film ends, with the same shot in reverse (a la 'the Searchers') something bad has!
In between, we're treated to much violence, sexism, adultery, hypocrisy and general wretchedness from the Lago townsfolk - and they're supposed to be the victims!
These people are dire, far worse than the actual villains, (who are gold-star nasty in a traditional sense.) they stood and watched as their sheriff - the only honest character in the film - was whipped to death in the street.
In essence, 'High Plains Drifter' is a cross between 'Witchfinder General', 'High Noon' and 'the Omen', only with lashings more unpleasantness. The main difference being, there's people to cheer for in those films - there's no-one here. Even the 'hero' is a cruel, merciless killer, who is himself in no moral position to deliver salvation OR retribution to the cowering townsfolk.
And who is he? The murdered sheriff's avenging kin? His ghost? The devil? The plot leads us up all the various avenues and alleyways but in the end, it doesn't really matter. We're just glad that everyone who deserves retribution - gets it! The doing-good-via-bad cliché is hammered home, but again we don't really care. We know right will out eventually, however perversely,(hopefully brutally!) because Eastwood's with the programme.
Visually, the films superb. The town appears condensed, like a vacuum, especially when Eastwood demands it be painted red.
It's not the traditional homely Western hamlet, which deserves to be defended by brave men for whom it's worthwhile giving their lives. It's a bleak, soul-less outpost, desperate and afraid of it's own shadowy secrets and the fact they're returning to haunt it when it thought they were buried with the sheriff.
Bruce Surtees camerawork effortlessly conveys this - and more (let's not give Eastwood ALL the credit). We get a very real sense of the artless, cuboid structures and the creepy inhabitants deserving each other.
Performance-wise, Eastwood plays Eastwood with a twisted comic bravado, (he knows he's distorting the western myth, by subverting the very iconography and legend that built it in the first place) he prowls the streets like Ann Coulter on the look-out for liberals, a cold glint as another low-life bites the dust.
Geoffrey Lewis is grotesquely brilliant as the drunken, heartless, leering chief-baddy, and the rare Verna Bloom is handsome and sassy as the rebellious wife of one of Lago's slimy conspirators.
There's blood by the bucket, roaring gun-fights, an inevitable,(but well-staged) all consuming fire, seriously nasty whippings and there's even a squalid, squeaky-voiced dwarf who, along with some 'pesky injun savages', are the only people to benefit from the 'drifter's' brief tenure.
'High Plains Drifter' is a delirious amalgam of all that's small and sleazy in our sugar-veneered world. A cynical, yet not completely hopeless vision of mankind in general, which is as valid and relevant now as when Eastwood shot it.
CLINT'S BEST
posted on 22 Dec 2008A mysterious stranger (Eastwood) arrives in the desolated desert town of Lago in the 1870's. The silent drifter arouses instant suspicion and uneasiness among the populace. Almost immediately upon his arrival, he is harrassed and goaded into a gunfight by three bullies. The stranger astonishes everyone by outdrawing them and killing them without showing any emotion. The only clue to this man's past is a recurring nightmare that haunts the stranger as he sleeps in the town hotel. The gruesome dream depicts a helpless man who is whipped to death by three shrouded men, while a cowardly crowd of citizens refuses to help......... Part ghost story, part revenge western, more than a little silly, nonetheless, Eastwood the director gave notice of a solid and exciting talent; he emerged as a genuinely talented filmmaker.
Essential Eastwood
posted on 18 Dec 2008Bad boys bull-whip sheriff to death in frontier town. Then stranger Eastwood checks in to even the score with baddies and apathetic townfolk. Typical Eastwood western trimmed to its essential elements, with more action than earlier outings. Enjoyable if you can handle the contempt Clint has for his charges.
Clint Eastwood's strangest and most startling Western ever
posted on 28 Oct 2008The lethal and mysterious the Stranger (Clint Eastwood in peak steely and formidable form) arrives in the seedy and lawless coastal community of Lago. The cowardly citizens hire the Stranger to protect them from a trio of dangerous criminals who've just been released from prison. The Stranger proceeds to turn the place upside down: he rapes fiery harlot Callie Travers (the gorgeous Marianna Hill), makes persecuted midget Mordecai (a marvelous performance by Billy Curtis) both sheriff and mayor, repaints the burg red, and renames it Hell. Director Eastwood, adapting an intriguingly cryptic script by Oscar-winning screenwriter Ernest Tidyman (who previously penned "Shaft" and "The French Connection"), crafts an arrestingly stark, dark and brutal nihilistic stunner that turns standard Western conventions completely on their ear: the beleaguered townspeople are all contemptible weaklings, the outlaws actually have a valid beef against the hamlet, and the Stranger makes for a genuinely scary, ruthless and vicious anti-heroic bastard of an avenging angel of death. Moreover, the handsome cinematography by Bruce Surtees, the odd, eerie, quasi-supernatural Gothic horror-Western tone, the unsparingly harsh amoral sensibility, Dee Barton's spooky score, a sharp streak of wickedly deadpan pitch-black humor, the laconic dialogue, and several jolting outbursts of savage violence all add up to one remarkably bizarre and haunting one-of-a-kind doozy. The bang-up acting from a terrific cast of familiar faces rates as another substantial asset: Verna Bloom as the disapproving Sarah Belding, Mitchell Ryan as crooked sycophantic mining company boss Dave Drake, Jack Ging as sniveling hotelier Morgan Allen, Stefan Gierasch as the ineffectual Mayor Jason Hobart, Walter Barnes as the folksy Sheriff Sam Shaw, Robert Donner as a hypocritical preacher, and Geoffrey Lewis, Scott Walker, and Anthony James as the three mangy no-count outlaws. A real gritty gem.
Atypical genre dish
posted on 25 Oct 2008Wow, this film certainly defies categorization. It is most certainly a Western, but unlike any I have seen before or since. Among the most unique takes on the genre I've ever seen.This is a revenge opus extraordinaire, in the vein of Odysseus or Hamlet in it's deliberation. And like Hamlet, there is a supernatural theme here, albeit one that does not just appear in the beginning but develops into a crescendo over the course of the movie.Clint Eastwood stars as a mysterious drifter that wanders into a town, seemingly no different than any other stranger that might pass through. BEGIN SPOILER: This is no ordinary stranger, but a revenant, one returned from the grave to work his vengeance upon those who had wronged him in life. Of course, the townspeople don't know this, and all save one never really come to that realization. The stranger is not only identical to the marshall that the townspeople idly watched being murdered by vicious desperadoes, but is one in the same. It is perhaps a message by the director of the tendency for people to distance themselves from others and to avoid getting involved, especially in times of great peril. Is it not then ironic that no one even recognizes the man that was once the law in their town? One among many oddities is that the avenging angel, if you will, is quite solid and looks like any other living, breathing human being. END SPOILER Another unusual aspect of High Plains Drifter, especially for a Western, is that no character in the film is very likable - all have their character flaws and there is no one to truly root for. Few of them are really despicable, but none are really great. Any looking for "realism" in film should scream in exuberance for this one, then, since it's a pretty accurate summation of human character - most of us are flawed in some way, with only a few that are really bad.As for the movie itself, there aren't many flaws to speak of. It is certainly unusual and unlike any other Western, but that's good. Most of the characters were almost over the top cowardly, but that was a central theme to the film and certainly made sense. Few are willing to risk their necks if there's a better alternative. And the protagonist had few redeeming qualities, even when we finally understand the rationale behind his cold and deceitful behavior.In the end, High Plains Drifter was an unorthodox, odd sort of film that rubbed me the right way. I don't believe it will ever grow tiresome.
A strange but watchable film
posted on 19 Oct 2008When I first saw this film I was rather confused. It is a film that can only be truly appreciated when seen at least twice. The storyline is complex and gripping although it can verge on the convoluted at times. An interesting thing to note is the distinct lack of music throughout the film. While many westerns use the ubiquitous twang of electric guitars to heighten the tension of the scene "High Plains Drifter" succeeds in doing this through clever use of camera and ambient sound. For example in the final showdown between The Stranger and his foes there is no music at all. The atmosphere is created by the light from the flames and the crackling of the burning timber. The one thing that annoyed me about the film is the ambiguity surrounding Clint Eastwood's character. While this adds to the dramatic effect I personally found it annoying that so little is revealed about him.All in all a great film with some slight idiosyncrasies but with enough drama to make it enjoyable, if a little difficult to understand.
A Classic To Say The Least
posted on 02 Oct 2008Only Clint Eastwood could play a character who drifts in to a small western town, order the towns people to paint everything red, and then rename the town "Hell". Eastwood plays a mysterious drifter in this film, who is followed by a very chilling tune throughout the movie. With some townspeople at his side, and others wishing him dead, the town comes to him for aid due to the coming release of three criminals the townspeople put in jail. With the criminals released, it's evident they'll come back into the small town of Lago looking for revenge, but as it turn out Clint has some avenging to do himself. Great film that gives off an extremely powerful feel of mystery and suspense, a definite must see!
Clint Eastwood vehicle playing his usual character as avenger gunslinger
posted on 01 Oct 2008This violent Western is set on Northern outdoors and the star is a mysterious revenger, ¨a man without name¨ , who comes to the aid of embattled citizens. It deals about a gunfighter (Clint Eastwood) arriving a little town called Lago that has the usual shops and buildings, as General merchandise, Livery stable, Hardware, Barber shop, Saloon , Hotel and of course the Church. The drifter donning his six-guns is contracted by townspeople to protect them from a trio of avenge-seeking outlaws(Geoffrey Lewis, Dan Vadis, Anthony James)who have justly released from jail. But the villagers wind up painting the little town and calling it : ¨Hell¨.Well crafted Western with interesting screenplay by Ernest Tidyman. Although atmospheric , it's also downbeat and sometimes just downright nasty. The story is almost terrific as the drifter comes to strange frontier town just in time to reckoning villagers and bandits. This stirring picture contains a powerful examination of morality and hypocrisy on people of a little town. Good casting with several secondaries as Michell Ryan, Marianna Hill, Verna Bloom, Walter Barnes, Robert Donner and special mention to Billy Curtis as midget become Sheriff and Mayor. Exquisitely shot by Robert Surtees with a magnificent cinematography on the barren exteriors and snowy mountains backgrounds. Thrilling and suspenseful musical score by Dee Burton. The film is made in somewhat similar style to ¨Pale rider (1985)¨, only this time the drifter appears to have been sent from hell rather than heaven to right from ordinary injustices. Later on, Eastwood produced and directed another successful Western ¨Unforgiven(1992)¨ also with some common theme.
Is Clint Bad Or Good? Both
posted on 21 Aug 2009High Plains Drifter(1972) is Clint Eastwood's tribute to the Speghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. In fact this film can be seen as an American Speghetti Western. High Plains Drifter is a Western-Noir because most of the cast of characters(even the hero) is not a clear cut hero. Clint Eastwood gives a good performance balancing between hero and villain. This was done as a homage to his mentor Sergio Leone who played a important role in his directorial career.This film is better than Unforgiven(1992) because the main character is a man of a more vengeful and brutal nature. This is of Eastwood's early masterpieces as director. One of the best scenes is when he has the whole town painted red and renames it hell. Clint Eastwood would play a ghost again in Pale Rider but without the same viciousness he displays in High Plains Drifter(1972). This will be known to movie buffs as the film where Clint Eastwood rapes someone.