There is a lot of beautiful scenery in 'Pale rider', which is probably the best thing about it. The story, about a group of 'tin pans' who are in conflict with the big shot gold digger who owns most of the land around them, and more specifically, the girl who prays to the Lord to help them and then a tall, dark stranger is sent their way, could have worked, but things stay pretty simple, clichéd and blunt.
The hero is always there at just the right moment and is basically a western Superman, even if he is also referred to as Death himself. The intended dramatic impact of the two women who both have their hearts set on the hero and the other man (Hull Barrett) who quietly wants to be part of the 'family', remains pretty much absent, all the more because the films switches between Eastwood's macho efforts, Superhero gunslinging, simplistic moral lessons and some bloody killings. But I wasn't much impressed with Sydney Penny's acting either. The rest of the cast did okay, mostly.
Maybe this one is simply not for me, even if I was certainly mildly amused by most of it. 5 out of 10.
The hero is always there at just the right moment and is basically a western Superman, even if he is also referred to as Death himself. The intended dramatic impact of the two women who both have their hearts set on the hero and the other man (Hull Barrett) who quietly wants to be part of the 'family', remains pretty much absent, all the more because the films switches between Eastwood's macho efforts, Superhero gunslinging, simplistic moral lessons and some bloody killings. But I wasn't much impressed with Sydney Penny's acting either. The rest of the cast did okay, mostly.
Maybe this one is simply not for me, even if I was certainly mildly amused by most of it. 5 out of 10.