Home Media Catch Up - Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Director: S. Craig Zahler

Cast: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Lili Simmons, Richard Jenkins

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 132 min

Home Media Catch Up is a series dedicated to reviewing films released within the same year or prior year that I either missed upon theatrical release or have not got around to viewing on home media yet. Therefore, they won't contain the historical depth of a Retrospective Review, nor the initial reaction of a Theatrical Review, but more so something in between.

While Westerns have been made since the dawn of cinema, many declare John Ford's 1939 masterpiece, Stagecoach, to be the turning point in which the genre was finally taken seriously. Few genres flourished as much as the Western initially did when it became popular, dominating the cinematic conscious from the 1940s through the 70s. Unfortunately, once Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate bombed commercially in 1980, the genre started its slippery slope into cinematic obscurity. Even though certain filmmakers continued to make Westerns, such as Clint Eastwood, the genre somewhat became a thing of the past, just as the Western frontier did itself.

Nowadays, it is always a celebration amongst genre fans whenever a true Western comes out, as they tend to rarely get made anymore. Fortunately, the tail end of 2015 has offered up a wealth of Western material, with big budget-awards season offerings such as The Revenant and The Hateful Eight supplying genre fans with their Western needs. However, one low budget contemporary Western offers genre fans a different kind of thrill, or at least a different kind of sub-genre altogether. Bone Tomahawk, a true Indie picture from first time director S. Craig Zahler, offers up Western atmosphere along with the gruesome gore and terror of a cannibal picture. It also features Kurt Russell and that awesome mustache and beard of his from The Hateful Eight in a much smaller picture. While in no way for the faint of heart or those with little patience, Bone Tomahawk is an exceptionally well made, although slightly over long and occasionally sadistic, Western for those looking for a truly visceral viewing experience.

You've been warned. Proceed with caution.

Bone Tomahawk opens with a disturbing scene that sets the tone for the rest of the picture as two thieves, Buddy (David Arquette) and Purvis (Sid Haig), rob and steal from campers. Upon walking further into the desert, the two stumble upon a burial ground owned by Troglodytes, cave dwelling cannibals who show no mercy to their victims. Purvis quickly finds himself attacked and sliced open by a cannibal, while Buddy high tails it out of there thinking of himself.

After arriving in the small town of Bright Hope, Buddy earns the attention of backup deputy officer Chicory (Richard Jenkins), who finds his appearance and actions suspicious. When he informs Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), the two of them confront Buddy, which leads to Hunt shooting him in the leg. Hunt is left in the town jail overnight and sought after by Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons), the town doctor and wife of Arthur (Patrick Wilson). Unfortunately, the cannibals tracked Buddy back to Bright Hope, and abduct both him and Samantha in the night. Therefore, Hunt, Chicory, Arthur, and an upper class man, John Brooder (Matthew Fox), set out to find the two and bring them back.

Bone Tomahawk is a success story for any aspiring filmmaker looking to produce a cheap film. It's incredible that first time director S. Craig Zahler produced the film on a mere $1 million budget and found a way to entice such recognizable actors as Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins to the project. After watching the behind the scenes documentary, as well as having a friend familiar with the area of Southern California, I discovered that the film was shot in a Western town and in the wilderness of Malibu, California. The clearly clean looking sets and outfits do somewhat spoil what could have been a more immersive Western experience given a bigger budget, but Zahler mostly does a great job getting as much as he can out of his limited budget, especially once the film moves purely into the wild. The film also features some truly fantastic special effects, especially during any sequence involving gore, gun fire, or bodily dismemberment. Therefore, any aspiring filmmaker or movie buff will want to give the film a watch simply for Zahler's success story alone.

"I was on Lost."

Due to its limited budget, Bone Tomahawk mainly relies upon dialog and character over spectacle, although it does go all out in its final act. Therefore, the bulk of the film rests upon Zahler's ability to write and direct interesting dialog and compelling characters. For the most part, he succeeds. After all, the first two acts of the film are all about establishing character. In fact, it takes the film around 40 minutes to get to the point in which the main plot kicks off, thereby affording the first 40 minutes the task of purely establishing the characters. 

However, the film's over long run time may be felt by the viewer, especially during the slow burn of act two. Some of the scenes and accompanying dialog don't feel entirely necessary at points, such as Wilson's reading of a poem, and could have possibly been left on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, the great performances help get the viewer through most of the film's slower points, as any minute of screen time with Kurt Russell and his beard is infinitely more watchable than one without him. It's a tough balance, but a strong reminder that dialog is going to dominate a picture when a mere $1 million are at your disposal.

Speaking of performances, every one brings their A-game to Bone Tomahawk. The four main leads form a likable team of players.  Russell is his usual bad ass self, Wilson is his usual boy scout self, and Jenkins is his usual kind hearted and adorable self. I was most surprised by Matthew Fox of Lost fame though, who gave a show stealing performance as a rich uppity gunslinger with a unique moral code. The film is also jam packed with numerous cameos, including David Arquette (Scream), Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects), Sean Young (Blade Runner), Kathryn Morris (Cold Case), Michael Pare (Eddie and the Cruisers), and James Tolkan (Back to the Future Trilogy). Many of these cameos are mere moments long though. In all honesty, Sean Young completely skipped past me on my first watch, as I don't even remember her appearing on screen.

Wilson takes aim and fires in one of the film's most memorable scenes.

Bone Tomahawk is a part of a very rare type of sub-genre, the Western horror to be exact. In fact, it crosses over into cannibal territory as well, which is its own sub-genre in and of itself. Therefore, fans of either Cannibal Holocaust or Unforgiven will find something to like here, as Bone Tomahawk caters to both the Western and horror fan alike.

The bulk of the horror doesn't arrive until the film's dynamite final act in which all kinds of blood and gore is unleashed on the screen. The exact moment in which Zahler lets loose with the blood and mayhem is so unpredictable, that those who have started to snooze off from the slow second act will most likely have to rewind in order to catch up again. There's no denying that the final act is exceptionally brutal. The film will most likely go down in history amongst genre buffs for one particular scene of brutal murder that caused even myself to cover up my eyes. After all, I typically swear off cannibal films because I find them too sadistic and gruesome for my taste; I haven never even seen the likes of Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, or Eli Roth's latest The Green Inferno because I know I won't find any enjoyment in them. Therefore, whenever Bone Tomahawk crossed over into hardcore cannibalism, my mouth gaped and my eyes squinted.

While I typically excuse brutal violence, especially when it is part of the action or Western genre, I felt that Bone Tomahawk's most gruesome moments were unnecessary and fairly sadistic. For example, when a character is scalped in gruesome detail, I felt that Zahler could have cut away from there and left the rest to the viewer's imagination. Unfortunately, Zahler continues to show the man eat his own scalp and than be sliced in half down the middle of his body, followed by all of his entrails pouring out onto the dirt. This moment was so sadistic and evil, that it made me question whether I liked the film at all. Another sadistic moment includes a cannibal slicing open a character's stomach and forcing a hot tin into their body. However, nothing compared to one of the film's final moments in which it is revealed that the cannibals own two blind and crippled women purely for reproducing. That might be more disturbing and vile than any moment of on screen violence purely for its horrendous implications. Therefore, let me stress that Bone Tomahawk is not for the weak, as it truly goes where few other films go.

If you can't handle this image, than you won't handle Bone Tomahawk.

Even though Bone Tomahawk's gruesome gore and torturous sequences will make any viewer's stomach churn, the film balances it out with some thankfully satisfying and realistic action to boot. Therefore, it's not just torture and gore, but revenge and escape as well. S. Craig Zahler has crafted quite a unique Western; one that features A-list actors, a $1 million budget, and some of the most gruesome imagery to be put upon the screen. Horror fans will find themselves in heaven, while others might feel alienated or distant from the film's hardcore proceedings. While the gruesome gore may be too sadistic for my taste, the film's rather slow start is the film's biggest downfall. If Bone Tomahawk had been a tad shorter, as well as a tad less violent, than I could easily sing its praises to everyone. Even with its apparent flaws and my own personal taste set aside, the film is still a hidden gem that true genre fans are going to want to seek out. Just remember to bring either a barf bag, a remote to fast forward through a scene or two, as well as your own trusty hands to cover up your eyes.

Rating: 7/10 - While immensely sadistic and slightly overlong, Bone Tomahawk excels as a visceral Western horror.

The Hateful Eight (2015) - 70mm Roadshow Version

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 187 min

Quentin Tarantino's latest, The Hateful Eight, is his second Western after 2012's Django Unchained. Whereas Django Unchained was a hero's journey that spanned the scope of the Southern frontier, The Hateful Eight is a claustrophobic who-dun-it picture occupied by eight or so flawed bastards who barely qualify as heroes. Mainly confined to one location, The Hateful Eight makes for one of the most unbearably tense and nail biting cinematic experiences in recent years. Imagine if the tavern sequence from Inglourious Basterds was an entire film, and you have The Hateful Eight. Tarantino acts as the puppeteer of suspense here, pulling on the strings of his cinematic marionette to the point where audience members will find themselves squirming in their seats. Easily Tarantino's most vicious and vile picture to date, The Hateful Eight tosses a bunch of players from post-Civil War America into a confined space and allows them go to town on one another.

It's worth mentioning that I saw The Hateful Eight in 70mm as part of Tarantino's Roadshow Version of the film. The Roadshow Version of the film treats it as if it were an actual stage play or a broadway musical, much the same way that prestige pictures like Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia were treated back in the early 60s. The Roadshow Version comes complete with a physical program, a musical overture, and an intermission, thereby expanding the film's 167 minute run time to a whopping 187 minute cinematic experience. 

While Tarantino has stated that his film stands on its own, even separated from the event-like lavishes of its Roadshow cut, I personally believe that the Roadshow experience greatly affects one's experience and opinion with the film. As soon as the Overture title card popped up and Ennio Morricone's music blared across the soundtrack, I immediately felt entranced. Morricone's music not only sets the tone for the horrific picture, but hypnotizes you with its gothic sound. The intermission also comes at the perfect moment within the film, thereby allowing viewers to soak in the previous triumphant scene, discuss the film with their friends, and most likely get up and go to the bathroom. The Hateful Eight may be a great movie, but the Roadshow Version of the film makes for an unforgettable experience that arguably amplifies The Hateful Eight's filmic affect. 

Eight bastards brave the worst blizzard of all time.

The Hateful Eight opens with one Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) stumbling upon a stagecoach occupied by the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ruth informs Warren that he is taking Daisy to Red Rock in order to have her hung and to earn the reward for her capture. However, an unforeseen blizzard complicates matters, thereby forcing Ruth and his captive towards a stagecoach lodge for shelter. When Ruth arrives at the lodge, he immediately suspects that one of the lodge's attendants is not who they say they are, and that somebody is plotting to break Daisy free of her chains. What follows is one hell of a nail biter as friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and backs are both metaphorically and literally stabbed.

Tarantino's latest is similar to John Ford's Stagecoach in which a bunch of strangers are thrown together into a live or die situation. In fact, many of his extreme wide shots recall the great Ford's work on many classic Westerns. Tarantino also pays tribute to Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller and even Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence by setting his Western theatrics amongst the snow. Few snow Westerns ever get made, so it's a pleasure to finally have another after who knows how long. The film also recalls John Carpenter's The Thing in how it drops a group of people into the snow and forces them to play mental chess with one another as they try and figure out who is who. It's all the more ironic that The Hateful Eight stars not only The Thing's Kurt Russell, but even features a score by The Thing's composer, Ennio Morricone. 

Tarantino's previous two films, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, were particularly enjoyable to watch in how he set his novelistic adventures amongst crucial points in U.S. history. Inglourious Basterds confronted the Nazis and World War II head on by eliminating Adolf Hitler altogether in a fantastical matter while Django Unchained confronted the harsh issue of slavery by allowing a black hero the chance to fight back against white slavers. The Hateful Eight tackles another hot blooded point in U.S. history, that of post-Civil War America, by placing former Union and Confederate characters against one another. It's tense enough that The Hateful Eight's characters have to shack up underneath a cold roof while one bounty hunter investigates who is trying to free his prisoner, but the underlying tension of the Civil War makes the experience all the more palpable. History and genre buffs will get a kick out of Tarantino's subversion and incorporation of both the Western genre and the tension of post-Civil War America.

John Ruth and Major Marquis talk it out.

Every Tarantino film features a selection of unforgettable characters, and The Hateful Eight features exactly that. He provides the viewer with several characters to root for as well as some to rally against. What makes The Hateful Eight such a fantastic viewing experience is that Tarantino plays with the viewers' expectations as to who is a morally righteous character and who is a backstabbing liar. In fact, Tarantino purposefully pits characters against one another early on in the film in order for the viewer to hate one and love the other, only to find them team up later on due to a common cause. It is this subversion of the audience's expectations, as well as the deeply layered characters who inhabit the film, that makes The Hateful Eight a character driven dream to watch.

Performances are excellent all around, with everybody giving their A-game to go along with their excellent characters. Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson are especially fantastic as the film's two lead characters. Each gives one of the best performances of their career here, fully embodying their malicious but righteous characters. Supporting performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, Demian Bichir, and even Channing Tatum are a delight. While no character comes out of the film unscathed or unbattered, everyone leaves an impression. Viewers will find themselves debating which character they adore the most, as well as who was the most vile and deserved their gory end.

Tarantino also extracts a lot of great comedy out of his film and actors. There's a great repeating joke about a door that won't shut, so the characters have to constantly hold it closed and hammer nails into it. Pretty much any line that comes out of Sam Jackson's mouth is hilarious or bad ass, especially whenever he drops a curse word here or there. Demian Bichir, who is mostly unknown to American audiences despite appearances in Machete Kills and The Heat, is absolutely hilarious as Bob the Mexican. Even Tim Roth, who hasn't been seen in a major film of this caliber in a long time, is extremely bubbly and joyful to watch. No Tarantino film, despite how vicious or malicious, ever fails to get a laugh out of the audience. By the end of The Hateful Eight's violent proceedings, you'll be hard pressed not to have laughed at either an honest joke or simply the film's darkly comedic set up.

Jackson "sticks it" to Madsen.

While every Tarantino film may be packed to the brim with substance, the filmmaker became such a household name because of his memorable style and admiration for blood and gore. The Hateful Eight definitely doesn't hold back on the gory antics that Tarantino has built a career on, especially once one makes it past the intermission. Once the first blood vomit hits the screen, its an all out gore fest from there. He holds back nothing in this film. Characters' heads explode, balls are shot, and even arms are chopped off.

I also personally found the film to be Tarantino's most disturbing and vicious flick to date. Although one's opinion of a film is entirely subjective, several scenes made my stomach churn or my eyes squint, especially a detailed massacre that could have been depicted off screen. Unlike previous Tarantino films, the violence found here is not glamorous or heroic in nature or purpose. Instead, characters murder one another, including unnamed innocents, for their own selfish goals. It's tough to watch at points, but that's Tarantino for you, always pushing the envelope. Although, it was pretty fun to watch one unnamed actor's head explode on screen, considering their pedigree and public image.

The last masterstroke in Tarantino's latest is the score by veteran composer Ennio Morricone. After all, Tarantino always steals from Morricone's extensive library of music for most of his films. Therefore, it makes sense for Morricone to finally come aboard and compose an entire Tarantino film. Tarantino apparently convinced Morricone to come out of retirement in order to compose the film. Thank God for Morricone's break from retirement, because his score for the film is one of his all time greats. It stands next to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Mission, and even Cinema Paradiso in how unique and memorable it is. It's an utterly iconic, and especially haunting and gothic, piece of score that music and movie fans will celebrate alike. I know that it might sound quick to call something a destined classic, but The Hateful Eight's score is exactly that.

"You're not getting a warning, but a bullet."

Upon initial viewing, The Hateful Eight will probably disturb some viewers and leave them quite winded. It's not often that three hour films, especially one this malicious, are set within one location. However, upon dwelling on the film's powerful effect, count me in as a fan. Tarantino has done it again by going back to his Reservoir Dogs roots and setting his latest film within a confined location and with a minimal cast. It's also fun to see that at least six of the "hateful eight" are Tarantino regulars. Although hardly a Western, it's more a game of Clue, The Hateful Eight is one of this year's most brash and daring character studies. Story and character are the name of the game, not plot or spectacle. Tarantino fashions his snow Western off of the mechanics and staging of a stage play, thereby making the film, as well as its Roadshow Version, an unforgettable time at the movies. It may be a tad too malicious for my taste at points, but The Hateful Eight is a great film through and through.

Rating: 8/10 - An immensely vicious and vile picture that finds a way to get laughs out of the viewer while making them squirm in their seat at the same time.

The Eastwood Way: Pale Rider (1985)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn, Richard Keil

Country: United States 

Rating: R

Run Time: 116 minutes

The American Western has been a dwindling genre for a long time. We're lucky to get a single Western every two years at this point. However, the decline of the American Western started during the 1980's when Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate bombed hard at the box office. No major Hollywood Westerns were made for four years due to Heaven's Gate utter failure. However, the king of the gritty revisionist Western stepped up and revived the genre in 1985. Clint Eastwood directed and starred in Pale Rider, his only Western of the 1980's and first Western since 1976's The Outlaw Josey Wales. It was an important Western because it proved that the genre was still alive, could make money, and be well received by the public.

Pale Rider is a great Eastwood flick. It combines elements of Shane, High Plains Drifter, and The Man With No Name films, therefore pulling from Westerns of the past in order to make one helluva mythical Western. The film has a nice balance of the good old fashioned entertainment of Clint's early years and the mature artistic filmmaking of his latter years. It is essentially one of many transitional Eastwood films that predicted his reflective old man films of the 90's and 2000's.

Gorgeous, gorgeous Western landscapes.

Pale Rider opens up as a gang of men ride through a canyon and raid a small town inhabited by numerous gold miners. The town is constantly hassled by a rich man named Coy Lahood who wants to drive everyone in Carbon Canyon out so he can mine for gold there. Therefore, he constantly taunts the town with raids and threats. After the raid, a young girl named Megan prays for God to bring a miracle to the town. God brings more than a miracle though. He summons "The Preacher" (Clint Eastwood), a nameless drifter who rides into town on a white horse and brings hell with him. The Preacher's efforts to help the miners eventually attracts the attention of Stockburn (John Russell) and his deputies, corrupt law men for hire. The Preacher trades in his collar for a pair of guns and sets out to kill Stockburn and his deputies.

What separates Pale Rider apart from other Eastwood "drifter" Westerns is that there is no explicit explanation for the Preacher's actions. The Preacher rides into town, helps out a miner, and than chooses to room with them. While rooming with them, the Preacher takes off his shirt revealing bullet scars all over his back. He eventually convinces the miners to defy Lahood, thereby making Lahood hire corrupt lawmen that the Preacher knows of. It is at this point in the film that the Preacher vanishes for quite a while as he goes and collects his guns. Once he returns, he marches into town and takes on Lahood's thugs and Stockburn and his deputies. When he meets Stockburn face to face, Stockburn recognizes the Preacher but never states his relation to him. Unlike other Eastwood Westerns, Clint goes full myth in this film. Literally. He doesn't explain a thing. It is up to the viewer to decipher the meaning of all of these actions and clues.

When I initially watched this film, I didn't love it. As most Eastwood films are, Pale Rider is two hours. This is expected though because most Eastwood films are particularly slow and meditative. Unfortunately, Pale Rider is especially slow. The film starts off strong, but than enters a slow middle portion that nearly lost me. It wasn't until the arrival of the deputies near the end of the film when I perked back up. 

Don't mess with the Pale Rider.

However, I have felt this way before about other Eastwood films. I originally didn't love Unforgiven upon my first viewing but have since gone on to sing the film's praises as a masterpiece. Therefore, I think that one must dwell on Pale Rider in order to appreciate Clint's motives behind it. This isn't supposed to be an all encompassing or engrossing Western. This is a mysterious and mythic Western where one watches a God-like character enter various characters' lives and carry out a mission of his own with no explanation. That's about it. There aren't any huge action scenes or dramatic revelations to excite the viewer either. Pale Rider is still bad ass, but bad ass in the sense of how mature and meditative it is. The film definitely signals the oncoming of Clint's reflective old man days in the 90's and 2000's.

"The Preacher" is one of Eastwood's most interesting characters. Besides being more mysterious than any other character of his, the Preacher carries a God-like aura to him. He rides on a white horse, dresses as a preacher, quotes bible verses, and is loved and worshipped by the gold miners. His character also apparently "died" long ago and has now shown up stronger than ever. It's as if the character died and rose again, much like Christ. These aspects of the Preacher represent the film's heavy religious themes.

Another Christ-like aspect of the Preacher is that he never misses a shot or receives a single wound. Eastwood characters usually get the crap kicked out of them or miss plenty of gun shots. However, the Preacher is near invincible (much like Christ after he rose from the dead). The Preacher carries an incredible confidence to him that other Eastwood characters carry too. However, those characters are all but human as they are painfully reminded by their many beatings and losses. The Preacher on the other hand remains untouched the entire film, therefore making him one of Eastwood's most mythic and invincible characters to date.

Dusters, hats, and spurs. The signs of bad ass deputies.

Even though Eastwood carries the film, the supporting cast do a great job as well. Michael Moriarty plays Hull Barret, a kind miner who takes a liking to the Preacher and feels inspired by him. I liked his character alot and found him to be a nice representation of old fashioned mining values. He appreciates the land and chooses to mine for gold the old fashioned way instead of destroying the land with high pressured water. His daughter and her mother are also significant characters who also take a liking to the Preacher, but in a lustful manner. Chris Penn (Reservoir Dogs, True Romance) also pops up as Lahood's son and doesn't do a whole lot except get his hand shot up. Even Bond-alumni Richard Keil has a few small scenes as one of Lahood's workers. I liked how his character started off hating the Preacher but eventually grew to respect him. His arc is extremely similar to what his character goes through in Happy Gilmore. That's right people, I mentioned an Adam Sandler movie in this review in order for you to understand Keil's character.

The villains in this picture are great. Coy Lahood is a great business type villain until Marshall Stockburn and his corrupt deputies arrive to enact vengeance on the folks of the canyon and the Preacher. Stockburn and his deputies are positively cruel but incredibly bad ass. It's worth noting that Billy Drago (The Untouchables) is one of them. If you need any actor to look like a slimey villain he's your go to man. There's a very chilling scene in the film where one of the miners brags to Lahood about his gold nugget. When the deputies step out of Lahood's office, they shoot his beer and nugget to smithereens. Enraged, the man reaches for his gun and gets gunned down by the deputies in a hail of gunfire. It's definitely the standout scene of the film. It shows how evil and cruel Stockburn and his men are.

Pale Rider also has great Western imagery. I adore the snowy mountains, lush forests, and snow covered town. It's nice to see a Clint Western set outside of hot deserts or rainy towns. The best shots are usually the ones in town where the mountains and fields stretch on for miles in the background. It's easily one of Clint's most beautifully lensed films.

Just your typical gun toting, Godly preaching drifter.

Unfortunately for action enthusiasts, Pale Rider is fairly light on action. The only bonafide action set pieces are the axe handle fight near the beginning of the film and the entire gun fight at the end of the film. There are a few bursts of violence here and there besides those two scenes but nothing substantial. The axe fight is a decent fight that showcases how bad ass the Preacher is. It's also a showcase of his kindness for others as he takes on a mob of men in order to protect a miner he has never met before. 

I assume that most action enthusiasts will agree with me that the film reaches its bad ass peak during the big finale. It comes time in the film for the Preacher to eliminate the deputies and Lahood's corrupt workers. Therefore, he struts into town and essentially hides in plain sight. However, the Preacher constantly vanishes from his spots as characters have trouble locating him. Instead of staging the final action scene in an exciting or engaging manner, Clint continues to play up the character's mythic nature by having him continually pop up out of nowhere and defeat his enemies. My favorite moment is when two of the deputies walk down an alley only for a barrel to fall out of the way to reveal the Preacher gun in hand. Those deputies never stood a chance. It is literally as if the Preacher can teleport around the town in order to be in the opportune location. This ability to be in the right place at the right time defies logic, thereby adding to the character's mythic quality.

Gorgeous nature that no green screen could duplicate.

Pale Rider was Eastwood's second to last Western. Therefore, Eastwood fully explored the mythic qualities of the Western hero that he had dabbled in before. He specifically avoids explaining his character's actions in order for the audience to deduce their own conclusions. Eastwood also stages the character as a Christ-like figure with numerous religious elements to him. I enjoyed this film a lot and found the characters to be my favorite aspect of the film. I should warn action fans though that the action scenes in this film are not meant to engage or entertain from a choreography or editing stand point. They serve an artistic purpose and further define the Preacher's mythic qualities. All in all, I think that Pale Rider is a solid Eastwood Western made better by Eastwood's motives a filmmaker.

Rating: 8/10 - A mythic, religious, and unrelenting Western featuring one of Clint's best characters. Recommended to fans of deep or meaningful action films.

The Eastwood Breakdown:

Character Traits:
- Nameless drifter
- Invincible
- Perfect aim
- God-like
- Religious
Main Villain(s): Coy Lahood (intellectual business type) / Marshal Stockburn (physical gun man type)
Kill Count: 11
- Guns down four of La Hood's workers inside of the general store.
- Slowly but surely stalks and kills Stockburn's six deputies in town during the finale.
- Kills Stockburn in a quickdraw.
Themes:
- Religion (white horse, Bible quoting, prayer, Preacher character)
- Old Fashioned vs. New Fashioned (specifically old fashioned mining vs. rich person hydro mining)
- Nameless Drifter (as seen in High Plains Drifter, Man With No Name films)
Cop or Cowboy?: Cowboy
Directed by Eastwood?: Check
Champion Bad Ass One Liner: After La Hood's workers beat the crap out of Barrett, the Preacher grabs an axe handle and goes to town on the men. After disarming the last worker, the Preacher looks at his axe and replies, "There's nothing like a nice piece of hickory."
Champion Bad Ass Moment: When the Preacher has a quickdraw with Stockburn, he doesn't just shoot him once. Oh no, he shoots him six times through the chest and than once in the head with a smaller pistol. Talk about overkill!
Poster: Pale Rider has one of the best posters in all of Eastwood's filmography. The artwork and arrangement of images are incredible. I love the rusty orange and brown colors that give the vibe of the Western era. The poster even looks like it was drawn on old paper. I also love Clint's head on the upper right with the deputies in the bottom left. And I especially love the tagline, "...and hell followed with him," in the upper left corner. This is easily one of the best posters I have ever seen for a Western. There is also a Style B poster that showcases Eastwood's full body as he fans his gun. It's also a great poster but not as good as the Style A one.