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High Plains Drifter | Year: 1973 Classification: Western Actors/Actresses: - Clint Eastwood - Verna Bloom Supernatural western 5 stars for content 2 for quality An odd supernatural western with a number of twists, Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter is now recognized as a pivotal and important western. When it was released it was blasted by many critics for its violence since then its critical reputation has risen. Eastwood plays a stranger who arrives in an odd town called Lago. The residents are wary of any stranger and the gunslingers hired to protect the mining operation (among other things)immediately want to take him down a peg or two. They have no idea who they're dealing with. There's a dark secret involving murder eating at the heart of Lago and its residents. Its corrupting effects are hidden by pleasant facades of the buildings. The residents want to hire The Stranger who defend them against outlaws who have a grudge against the towns people. He's initially reluctant but agrees after given carte blanc to the town. He does lives up to his end of the bargain but not before exacting a brutal revenge. The film certainly merits five stars. It's an assured second film from Eastwood as a director. The script by Ernest Tidyman (with uncredited rewrites by Dean Reisner)marvelously captures many of the elements that made Sergio Leone's westerns so popular and manages to invert many of them at the same time. Reportedly inspired by a subgenre of samurai films revenge films, Eastwood chose to make the film when the treatment intrigued him. Tidyman's (The French Connection)screenplay is lean and compact providing a perfect frame work that echoes and compliments the films that Eastwood made for Leone. The haunting musical score also echoes Morricone's scores for Leone's films without imitating them. Universal has given this classic western shoddy treatment. The cover you see here isn't the cover on the current version. It's a much less dramatic photographic image. Additionally, it's clear that this is just a re-release of the original 1997 bare bones DVD. The film has not been remastered and there's loads of analog artifacts as well as some interlacing problems in a couple of scenes. The film deserves to be restruck from the original negative and remastered with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. It also deserves a commentary track from star/director Eastman as well as a documentary on this magnificent film. There is a promotional film floating around that was made at the time of the film and the least Universal could have done with this reissue was put it on disc. That, along with a retrospective documentary and interviews is really what this terrific film deserves. Sadly, Universal has chosen to release it with little fan fare at a budget price but without any of the extras that would make it worthwhile. There is the original trailer (in pan and scan format) and production notes. One other minor flaw is that the transfer is cropped incorrectly in this widescreen presentation. As a result, some of the credits appear at the very edge of the screen. While this isn't a major issue, the film Compelling, Powerful Western Just who is this "stranger", portrayed by Clint Eastwood, who has entered Lago, and what is his purpose? From the time he arrives, until he leaves, we are left wondering about this shadowy individual. Lago is a small Texas town where not to long ago a brutal murder of a sheriff occurred, while the whole town watched, too cowardly to come to his aid. "Help me," he utters again and again, while his attackers whip him to death. Now enter the man with no name. Is he the spirit of the dead sheriff, his brother perhaps, or maybe some kind of ghoulish devil? Who ever he is, he quickly takes over the town, then takes charge of it, preparing for the return of the three men who killed the sheriff. It seems his real attempt, other than to avenge the death of the sheriff, is to run the town into the ground; retribution for their earlier cowardice. The most fitting reprisal being, perhaps, having the townspeople paint the town red, and then rename it "Hell". Eastwood's character has no compassion for the people, and as much as he abuses them, we cannot somehow feel sorry the way in which they are being treated. And even after trying to build up their defense, and train them to shoot at their targets properly and effectively, he still comes to their aid at the end - the bad man shouting out "Who are you", and never given a reply. Most westerns are the shoot 'em up kind, which we enjoy. The difference between them and "High Plains Drifter" is that this movie hangs on our moral conscience; and we don't soon forget it. Excellent! I remember seeing this for the first time back in the day. It was probably the fascination with the "man with no name trilogy" but this film is just as classic as those. The story is your typical "revenge" tail but this adds a bit more to it. First of all the character is dark and aloof which really helps set the mood for this film. Its dark its fun its ultra cool! If you liked the man with no name trilogy, hang em high or pale rider see this! Buy High Plains Drifter at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on High Plains Drifter Search with the Priority Search Engine on High Plains Drifter This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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