Pale Rider (DVD, 1997)

Oh, to be a frontier woman, challenged by adversaries that don't believe in fair play and have Clint Eastwood (he of the Man with No Name variety) ride into town on a dapple grey horse and save the day.

After nine years, Clint Eastwood returns to the western genre he became famous for and submits a masterful piece of mystery, intrigue and adventure in the name of PALE RIDER. With an incredibly talented supporting cast including Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn and Richard Dysart, Clint Eastwood appears out of nowhere as what seems at first to be no more than a good samaritan. After saving gold-panning Hull Barrett (Moriarty) from a gang of thugs sent by the local strip-mining boss (Dysart), Hull gladly returns the kindness. He invites Clint's character back to his stake to share a meal with his would-be family, an abandoned woman (perfectly portrayed by Carrie Snodgress) and her young teenage daughter, played by Sydney Penny (who was specially awarded for her touching performance as Megan). Through a series of intentional misunderstandings, Clint allows himself to be called Preacher and quietly rallies the other stake-holders to stand together and hold fast to their claims.

As the pressure mounts from the strip-mining boss' attempts to discourage the panners, one watches the Preacher's attitude escalate from annoyance to anger to a vengeful state that is indicated no more clearly than in his confrontation with the hired guns Dysart's character recruits to fight his war for him. In a climactic scene that will be savored by the typical Eastwood fan, the townspeople come to realize that this man is much more than a "preacher", if he is one at all.

Not just for the "tough-guy" movie fan, this entry into Eastwood's library of winners definitely ranks up there among his best. It contains pathos ranging from anguish to humor to tenderness, many of which are rarely explored by the modern western. All in all, this is a fine piece of entertainment for anyone that believes in standing up for your rights, no matter how embattled and out-numbered you may feel.