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Pale Rider

1985 1h 55m
Western Drama
MOVIEVIBE Rating
7.2/10
1,247 reviews
Your Rating
Pale Rider

A mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.

"...and hell followed with him."

Top Billed Cast

Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Preacher
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Hull Barret
Carrie Snodgress
Carrie Snodgress
Sarah Wheeler
Chris Penn
Chris Penn
Josh LaHood
Richard Dysart
Richard Dysart
Coy LaHood
Sydney Penny
Sydney Penny
Megan Wheeler
Richard Kiel
Richard Kiel
Club
Doug McGrath
Doug McGrath
Spider Conway

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

J John Chard Verified TMDB Critic
2014-03-21

You can't beat a good bit of Hickory.

The opening to Pale Rider is just excellent, at first all is calm and serene, but then the peace is shattered by the thundering of hooves. A group of men employed by Coy LaHood, tear thru a small mining community, shooting guns and trampling over all in their way. During this callous act of bullying, one of the men shoots and kills young Megan's dog. When Megan buries her beloved pet, she calls to god to send someone to help them against the greedy LaHood, because LaHood is intent on stripping the locals of their claims, and he literally will stop at no...

R r96sk Verified TMDB Critic
2022-02-01

This is a good'un.

<em>'Pale Rider'</em> features an enjoyable story featuring the gold rush, while the characters are all solid - Clint Eastwood gives a strong performance in the lead role, though I would've liked to have seen more of John Russell and his character.

I don't think it's perfect or anything, but I got entertainment from it and that's enough for me - I've not got much more to note....

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2025-09-01

If you’re_italic text_ a regular watcher of Westerns, then you’ll be familiar enough with the format of the film. A bunch of prospectors are being bullied by a local kingpin determined to muscle-in on their land and intimidate, or kill, them out of their claims. A bit like “Sir Galahad”, a travelling preacher (Clint Eastwood) arrives and is soon trying to galvanise their efforts to thwart the ambitions of the calculating “LaHood” (Richard Dysart); his violent son “Josh” (Christopher Penn), sheriff enforcer “Stockburn” (John Russell) and their gentle giant (Richard Kiel). Ch...