High Plains Drifter (1973)

Great Film overall

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Critics and audiences made a huge deal over Unforgiven as being innovative and being a modern Western. Clint Eastwood did this in 1973 with High Plains Drifter. With set designs hearkening back to German Expressionism and filming techniques that employ Surrealism, this film was lost in the 70's cynical treatment of the Western as a genre and never got it's just dues. Those of us who love the Western will never pass up a chance to watch it in reruns. This was a Western that pulls no punches and all of the characters are despicable. Innovative, provocative, and uncompromising, High Plains Drifter was way ahead of its time for its filming technique, treatment of the anti-hero and the forerunner of many "revisionist" Westerns to come.

After a few years on "Rawhide", Clint Eastwood got internationally famous with Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. I understand that a couple of movies in the US tried to unsuccessfully impersonate the spaghetti westerns. It was understandable that Clint, having made his directorial debut with "Play Misty for Me", would decide to direct his own western. The result was "High Plains Drifter".The movie itself is middling. Clint's nameless character (The Man with No Name yet again) is sort of a cross between an angel and a devil, doling out justice in a corrupt town. However, much of the movie comes across as silly, although that might have been the intention. Nevertheless, the westerns from this era that I recommend are Arthur Penn's "Little Big Man" and Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller".The rest of the cast includes Verna Bloom (Mrs. Wormer in "Animal House") and Billy Curtis (one of the munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz").

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is the first western that Clint Eastwood starred in that he also directed himself. While he gives a typically great performance as the titular character, the real surprise here comes from his matured, stylish direction that would have you thinking he'd been making these films for twenty years beforehand. This is an eerie western, laced through with violent flashbacks and an increasingly hellish atmosphere as it tells the story of corrupt townsfolk who watched a man die at the hands of three violent outlaws.It's one of those films where my attention was gripped for every moment. Eastwood doesn't play a likable character at all – he starts off by raping a woman – but the reason for that gradually becomes clear as the film progresses. The supporting cast of ne'er-do-wells is fine, although nobody gives a stand-out performance (apart from Billy Curtis as the kooky, lovable dwarf, Mordecai). Geoffrey Lewis pops up in an early role as one of the bad guys.The direction is superlative and the script avoids the typical clichés for the most part. I paid particular attention to the soundtrack, which combines eerie, dramatic effects with excellent music. The ending is one of those ones that actually exceeds audience expectations in terms of the dramatic tension, excitement, and plain good ol' fashioned filmmaking it excels in. This may not be Eastwood's best, but it sure as heck is up there with the best of them.

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a Clint Eastwood's best pulse-pounding western masterpiece film, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.High Plains Drifter (1973) is in my opinion Clint Eastwood's best pulse-pounding climax classic western masterpiece! It is my fourth favorite Eastwood western film flick and it is in my top 5 Eastwood western films! I love this movie and it is a tone horror dark western movie. Which is the film that I really believe, is a classic Clint Eastwood's best western! This is Clint Eastwood's second film as a director finds the celebrated action star returning to his familiar Old West stomping grounds and his internationally acclaimed role of "The Man With No Name." This time, The Stranger (Eastwood) mysteriously appears out of the heat waves of the desert and rides into the lawless, sin-ridden town of Lago. After making a name for himself with a string of blazing gun battles, The Stranger is hired by the townspeople to provide protection from three ruthless gunmen just out of jail. The Stranger quickly proceeds to paint the entire town bright red, rename it "Hell," and supply divine retribution in the fiery, pulse-pounding climax of this acclaimed western shoot-em-up.Plot: A drifter with no name (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are in high demand. When the drifter rides into Lago, he is met with incredulity and disapproval by the townspeople. But once he shows his skills with a pistol, the locals realize he may be able to help them fend off a band of criminals who have been terrorizing the town. He agrees to help the townspeople, but does so with his own secret agenda."You're going to look pretty silly with that knife sticking out of your ass." - Best Clint Eastwood's dialogue lines in the film. I like that this film has a good plot, it is mysterious and scary all the time. The three villainies Geoffrey Lewis, Dan Vadis, Anthony James are scary killers in this film, that no one can touches them, and they kill everything that moves. I love how this film is portrayed and that Eastwood is a mysterious stranger on a revenge against the corrupt, selfishness and greed in the town Lago. The movie is evolving about a murder of marshal Jim Duncan (Buddy Van Horn) who was murdered in the town of Lago from three outlaws and the towns people covered up. Clint Eatswood is probably which I assume Jim Duncan's brother that get's revenge on everyone. I have never seen in any movie the town been painted red and written Hell never. Buddy Van Horn been whipped to death by three outlaws. This film is gruesome, bloody and very violent with a gore and tons of shoot-em-up scenes. It is different than For a Few Dollars More but is still pretty good western flick.Like is said I think for a western flick that Clint Eastwood directed is probably his best western movie he directed. I love this movie to death I love it and it is my third Eastwood favorite western film! After he has killed the three men the locals ask if he will stick around and save them from three convicts who are being released after the town got them to commit a rather heinous crime. Seen in flashback scenes the crime is the brutal murder by whipping of a town Marshall. The problem in the film is actually the rape scene, which is tough to watch and the score is a little dated now. The good is not afraid to try something different and raises more questions than it answers. Engaging story, great performances and plenty of violence/action. You have even one explosion in it, the town is burning up in flames and the mysterious man kills all three outlaws on the same way that they killed Jim Duncan. It's not exactly feel good fare like I said and darker than you'd maybe expect but It's not without a sense of humor and Eastwood expertly directs it, keeping it well paced and relatively short at an hour and 45 minutes long.Overall: I seriously love this film to death! High Plains Drifter is a daring and quite different film with Eastwood not playing a hero type! This film get's a solid 10 by me which everyone of the cast did a solid performance cause I saw the acting been realistic and there are no CGI in this film! High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American supernatural western film produced by Robert Daley for Malpaso Company and Universal Studios, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, and written by Ernest Tidyman (who also wrote the novelization).10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: The Malpaso Company, Universal Studios Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Billy Curtis, Mitchell Ryan, Buddy Van Horn, Jack Ging, Stefan Gierasch, Ted Hartley, Geoffrey Lewis, Dan Vadis, Anthony James, John Hillerman Director: Clint Eastwood Producer: Robert Daley Screenplay: Ernest Tidyman Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 45 Mins. Budget: $5.500.000 Box Office: $15,700,000