In an early directorial effort, Clint Eastwood caps off his spaghetti western trilogy with a tip of the hat to mentor Sergio Leone.

TV star Eastwood (Rawhide) had made his splash on the big screen with the so-called spaghetti western, filmed by an Italian crew with German funding in Spain.

High Plains Drifter is an illustration of karma – what goes around, comes around. Eastwood explores a dark vision of townsfolk of an isolated western town bonding together for protection of their common interest but too cowardly to do the dirty work themselves. His mysterious Stranger holds a mirror up to their actions and reveals them for the hypocrites they are, bowing and scraping to obtain his power yet capable of turning their backs and allowing innocents to be destroyed in their midst.

The opening scene shows a cowboy riding out of a mirage; the ending sees the cowboy, the man we now know as the Stranger, riding back into the mirage. The story is the story of a town - the town of Lago. It contains brutality that frankly shocks us at first; but once we realize that it is “divine retribution” for sins against one of their own, we realize that the violence is justified.

The screenplay, by Ernest Tidyman, who also penned The French Connection, contains elements of Yojimbo and High Noon. The stranger rides into town; he immediately knocks off the gang who is terrorizing the town and gets hired to knock off a rival gang who is coming to terrorize the town. But behind all the false piety of the good citizens lies a dread secret and the stranger uses his new power to put each of them in their places. Plenty of good dialog, like the cowardly sheriff trying to talk the stranger into defending the town, “I sure wish you’d help us with our problem.” The stranger replies, “The only problem you’ve got is a short supply of guts.” The script provides plenty more black humor, as well as some pretty jarring observations by the stranger (Eastwood), who seems like he has eyes in the back of his head.

They finally make him an offer he can’t refuse: anything he wants. The stranger immediately turns the town upside down, making a despised midget both sheriff and mayor, giving away the storekeeper’s goods to Indians, and buying drinks for everybody at the town’s expense. The townsfolk begin to realize the cure might be worse than the disease.

After the stranger has stripped away all the pretensions, he leaves the town to the depredations of the angry gang, just released from prison... I’ll leave the exciting climax for your viewing pleasure.

Clint Eastwood, of course, plays the title role with his now familiar scowl. Good supporting performances from old Rawhide buddy Paul Brinegar and familiar faces Geoffrey Lewis (Way of the Gun), John Hillerman (Chinatown), Mitch Ryan (Judge Dredd), Verna Bloom (Last Temptation of Christ), and Marianna Hill (Godfather II).

Music by Dee Barton, who collaborated with Eastwood on his early directorial efforts evokes some of the flavor of the spaghetti western as well as some creepy supernatural themes at the appropriate moments.

Props and sets are strictly low bucks, and that is a common element High Plains Drifter shares with the spaghetti westerns it does homage to.

All in all, High Plains Drifter is one of the more unique stories I’ve seen Clint Eastwood direct. I would rank it with the Sergio Leone trilogy, and Clint’s later western work The Outlaw Josey Wales and his Oscar winning Unforgiven, all of which I highly recommend.

Happy viewing!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening