As a big Clint Eastwood fan i find that most people normally relate to him for his "Spaghetti westerns" or "Dirty Harry" films. I have lost count of the amount of times i have heard someone with a bad impression of him sayin "go ahed punk make my day" Eastwood though has many films to his credit both as actor and as director, quite often as both.
"High plains drifter" (1973) is one of thoes many films. With his spaghetti westerns most people credit him as "The man with no name" when in fact in in all three films he had a name. In "A fist full of dollars" his name was Joe, in "For a few dollars more" his name was Monco and finally in "The good the bad and the ugly" he was Blondie. For five decades Eastwood has made westerns, appealing to the current audience, but in only one was he the man with no name or the stranger and that was "High plaines Drifter" although the film does leave heavy clues to who he could have been once upon a time. But who?
The film is in the town of Lago a town full of crime and a sheriff who is to scared of his own shadow to do anything about it. Then a stranger (Eastwood) ride in to town. He stops for a shave at the barbers only to be confronted by three bad guys who feel threatened by his presence. With in no time he kills all three, the towns folk are so gratefull to him for disposing of these baddies that they ask him to become sheriff and save them from another bad guy Stacey Bridges, (Geoffrey Lewis) and his two companions when they are released from prison in a few days. He turns down the position of sherrif but the towns folk offer him anything he wants, free of charge, if he helps them anyway. He agrees to train the towns men how to hold them off. The way it is done shows his contempt to the way the town is run and giving him anything he wants could be their biggest mistake. I would recomend watching the film to see what happens rather than reading it all here.
The film features Geoffrey Lewis & John Quade who have appeared in other Eastwood films as he had some actors/actresses that he used time and time again. This particular film had Lewis, unusually, portrayed as the baddie. Having appeared later in Both "Anywhich way you can" and "Anywhich way but loose" as Eastwoods good friend, the closet he got to being the bad gut was in "Bronco Billy" in between thoes films. Even in "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" it would be unfair to say that he was the bad guy. Quade could also be classed as a bad'un in this film. At one point in the film he is stood behind Easwood with a knife and an oppertunity to kill him off. Without turning around Clint says "You,d look pretty stupid with that knife stuck up your a**e" Other Eastwood films that he has appeared in include again "Anywhich way but loose" & "Anywhich way you can" as Cholla the leader of the Black widdows, aswell as playing the Comanchero Leader in "The Outlaw Josey Wales" both parts bad guys, although Cholla does come good in the end.
"High Plaines Drifter" is one of the many films that Eastwood directed himself and as a nice touch to previouse directors of his films on other headstones in the graveyard bear the names of "Don Siegel", director of 5 of his films & " Brian G. Hutton" director of 2 of his films. He was later quoted as saying " I burried my directors" His directing ha staken a different level as he has directed a number of films without staring in them one notably being "Bird" the story of Charlie "Bird" Parker. Eastwood, a lifelong jazz fan, had been fascinated by Charlie Parker and his music since seeing him play in Oakland in 1945. Rummers also had it believed that Eastwood offered to direct "The Karate Kid" for free if his son Kyle could play the main roll. However he did get a chance to both direct and act alongside his son in the film "Honky tonk man" as Eastwoods nephew, "Outlaw Josie Wales" as his son, "Bronco Billy" as an orphan and in "Bridges over Madison County" in the James river band. He also acted alongside his daughter "Allison" in the film "Tightrope" and "Bronco Billy" where she also played an orphan. Eastwood also had another daughter from an affair that streached back to his "Rawhide" days "Kimber" She has also appeared acting alongside Dad in the film "Absolute Power" in which Allison also makes a cameo appearance as an art student.
Clint continues to make great movies which include the ones he just directs but he has not yet made a western in the 2000s (Unless you want to count Spacecowboys!!) but all the westerns he has played in have in my opinion proved that he has been one of the gret western makers. John Wayne always the good guy where as Eastwoods characters could mostley be seen as one way or the other, depending on how you see the film. In "High Plaines Drifter" this is no different as although the film comes across as a revenge senario, it can be said that some of the ways he goes about getting the revenge are rather harsh. So the question remains whether he is the returning ghost of a past sheriff or if he is a relation or friend of that same man. A great film with all the things needed for a great western with a wicked twist.
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Soundtrack
Good
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Good
Value for Money
Excellent
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DVD
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