High Plains Drifter [DVD]

By the late 1960s Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood (Pale Rider, Unforgiven) had certainly established himself as an actor with such features as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Hang 'Em High (1968), Where Eagles Dare (1968) before also taking on the role as director in his film Play Misty for Me (1971). High Plains Drifter (1973) was Eastwood's 2nd directing gig, written by Ernest Tidyman (Shaft, The French Connection) and featuring Eastwood himself. Also appearing is Verna Bloom (Animal House), Geoffrey Lewis (Every Which Way But Loose), Marianna Hill (Schizoid), Mitch Ryan (Lethal Weapon), Jack Ging (SSSSSSS), Stefan Gierasch (Silver Streak), Ted Hartley (Ice Station Zebra), Walter Barnes (Every Which Way But Loose), Anthony James (Unforgiven), Dan Vadis (Bronco Billy), and Billy Curtis, one of many little people featured in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).The film, which takes place in a seaside mining town known as Lago, begins as we see a lone horseback rider (Eastwood) traveling across a shimmering desert landscape, making his way towards town. His arrival draws much attention, particularly in three gun-toting yahoos who, after getting uppity with the stranger, soon find themselves dead. Turns out the trio weren't just you run of the mill riff raff, but gunmen hired by the town for protection, specifically against three other men, soon to be released from prison, who the townsfolk believe will return for revenge (seems the three men currently in prison once held the position the three now deceased men held, that is before a particular incident occurred and they were railroaded into jail). Anyway, the town leaders, now without their hired guns, decide to offer the stranger the position of protectorate, given the ease in which he dispatched their previous choices, and the stranger accepts only after being promised complete run of the town. The deal seems like a good one, that is until the stranger starts taking liberties above and beyond what they believe to be fair and equitable, causing consternation among more than a few residents (as a result the townspeople start turning on each other). As the stranger begins making good on his end of the bargain (setting up drills and such with the men in the town), the three men, including Stacey Bridges (Lewis) and his cousins Cole and Dan Carlin (James and Vadis, respectively) are released from prison and proceed to make their way towards Lago, their intent being to seek reparations against the town that had done them wrong. As the town prepares for their arrival (including a spiffy, new paint job, at the stranger's behest), we continue to learn more and more of a past incident within the town, one that gruesome secret shared by all, rationalized away by most.For me this was a very straightforward tale of what goes around, comes around, especially in terms of everyone in Lago getting exactly what they deserved based on their level of involvement in past, unspeakable events. I've had stuff in my life come back to bite me in the ash, but never to the extent depicted here...then again I never found myself in the position of either participating or witnessing a brutal crime (and doing nothing to help). At various points in the film Eastwood's character's identity is questioned, to which it's never flat out specified but given key aspects of the film it seemed pretty obvious to me. The short dream sequence early one should provide a good idea of where his character is coming from and if not, then the final sequence should (hint, there's a metaphysical element involved). While Eastwood's character here does not have a name, that aspect is not meant to reflect on some of his earlier Italian made westerns where his character was generally not identified as the characters there and here are not the same. There's plenty of nastiness in the film including some whippings, cold-blooded murders, acts of misogyny, and so on, but interestingly enough, they all seem to have their place within the story, especially given what we learn in terms of despicable secret most all in the town share. That's not to say all the actions by the stranger were justified but given the underlying circumstances they weren't entirely unexpected. Overall I think I had a pretty good handle on the characters (their motivations, where they were coming from, etc.), except for the one female character played by Marianna Hill, who seemed a real weirdo. Her character would glom onto the most dominant male figure present to which she would then seem to resent them, particularly so with the stranger, but perhaps this was a result that Eastwood's character's interest in her was superficial at best, something which she felt and wasn't accustomed. Regardless, she was one of those women who should wear a sign around her neck stating `Look, but don't touch'. As far as Eastwood, well, he's Eastwood, and presents himself a much as one would expect in a role like this (cool, distant, and enigmatic). I thought his direction wonderful along with his performance. As far as the rest of the cast, primarily made up of character actors, I thought they all did very well, and the story provided just enough material and attention on each given their respective roles within the film. My favorite part of the film, besides the confrontation sequence at the end, comes near the beginning as Eastwood's character arrives into town, enters the saloon, and begins getting verbally hassled by the three roughnecks to which he brushes them off and heads off for a shave and a bath, the three troublemakers not far behind. They continue with the verbal jabs, and when they fail to get a rise out of him, they turn violent, forcing the stranger to react, resulting in a lesson learned by all not to mess with the bull lest you get the horns. All in all I thought this a great film, and one of the better westerns to come out of the 1970s.The picture, presented in widescreen (2.35:1), looks pretty decent, but could have used a little cleaning up, in my opinion, as there's slight flaws present throughout (when I say `slight flaws', I mean minor dust flecks and such, but nothing overly obvious). The audio, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono, in both English and French, comes through very well. As far as extras there's production notes, cast and crew biographies, a theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English and Spanish.Cookieman108

High Plains Drifter is the best movie Eastwood ever made.

This is one of Clint Eastwood's best efforts. The subject of the film was later reprized in "Pale Rider", which is good in its own right, but "pales" beside the mythic resonance of "Drifter".Clearly, Eastwood is using everything he learned at the feet of the master Sergio Leone, but goes the master one better. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" had a strong anti-war message on a grand scale. "Drifter" is a more interior kind of study of group corruption, and the place of the a-moral avanger within the panoply of human foibles.I'm surprised that no reviewer has taken up the Christological overtones of the film. The Sheriff of Lago is whipped to death in the street in front of all of the townspeople - just like Jesus on the stations of the cross. "The Stranger", as the returning (resurrected?) ghost of the Sheriff (who is only reckognized as such by the town dwarf), is also handy with a whip, as was Jesus when he "cleansed" the Temple of the corruption of the money-lenders (which is the exact hidden sin of the town)."Lago" is obviously an anagram for "Gaol": the citizens are locked in a purgatory waiting room, and The Stranger has come to dispense judgment.The role of the dwarf, whom The Stranger appoints first as Mayor and then as Sheriff of the town, simply to grind the faces of the towspeople in their own corruption, is a brilliant bit of Sergio Leone parody put on steroids!The entire movie is paced excellently and has a very satisfying balance. Geoffry Lewis as the head of the bad guys later became a staple player in Eastwood's Malpaso productions, including an excellent turn in "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot".All in all, this is a quintessential Eastwood film, and is probably the capstone of the Sergio Leone style Western. One can imagine the master grinning and nodding in approval during his first viewing of the pupils fledgling production!

Clint at his revengeful best!

Good movie

"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.

Nicely

Good product