High Plains Drifter (1973) vs Pale Rider (1985)
which is better??
shareThese days I prefer Pale Rider.
I used to love HPD back in the day but now I think the story for PR is more interesting.
Which do you prefer?
Pale Rider by a sliver.
shareBoth are great, but I prefer High Plains Drifter for a few reasons. First, it follows much more closely on the heels of the Man With No Name trilogy. Particularly at the beginning, I imagine "Joe" just having left Tuco with his bags of gold, wandering for days until emerging from his netherworld into Lago. The eerie music almost begs for that mystical connection. This suggested linkage was no doubt intended to some degree, but something I largely inject into the film myself that I find haunting and especially enjoyable. The preacher from Pale Rider has this quality as well, but not nearly so intense as the drifter. The 70s film vibe and the desert cinematography plays a big role. The chilly mountain terrain of Lahood evokes something similar but different, detaching it more from the Leone trilogy. I liked this particular distinction. One that I didn't like was the sub-plot involving young Megan's love crush for the preacher. I found some of their interactions cringe worthy and an unnecessary distraction to the basic good vs. evil tale of vengeance that underpins most of Eastwood's films, most especially his best ones.
Interesting idea. I could see something along the lines of the Man with No Name having died, and returned to earth as an avenging spirit. We are led to believe that he's the ghost of the town's former sheriff, but as no one recognizes him he clearly is inhabiting another body. If I'm imagining cinematic characters who could return from the grave to again walk the earth, Eastwood's Man with No Name would be near the top of my list.
share>> These days I prefer Pale Rider.
I agree entirely. If High Plains Drifter is a great movie, then Pale Rider is even greater.
Unduly underrated too.