The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Blistering performances.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"High Plains Drifter" is a typical Western revenge film directed by Clint Eastwood. It is one of the earliest examples of Clint Eastwood as a director. He is also in the leading role as The Stranger. From the very beginning of the film, you get to understand the road it is going to follow. The Stranger rides into a sweet mining town near the sea called Lago. There is no talking in the first 6 minutes of the film. When he rides into the town, everybody watches him, and this is when we get to know a little bit the small town and its fearful people. During the first scenes you get to understand why Clint Eastwood has always been the symbol of masculinity in cinema. The character Clint Eastwood plays has a certain style that doesn't fail him. The same coolness of his characters in his other films is still here in the "High Plains Drifter". In Lago, people go on with their usual lives, but this sweet small town holds a terrible secret. Once upon a time, there was a marshal in this town and, when he finds out that the mine belongs to the government, he goes ahead and tries to reveal this secret. Three gunmen, hired by the townspeople, whip the marshal to death and the secret is hidden forever. When the film progresses, we get to understand that The Stranger is somehow related to the murdered marshal, and comes to this small town to take this revenge. Everything signals us that The Stranger is the ghost of the murdered marshal, Jim Duncan.It is said that "High Plains Drifter" is influenced by the works of film directors like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. You see a lot of similarities between Eastwood's character in the "High Plains Drifter" and The Dollars Trilogy or in the films he worked with Don Siegel. Made in 1973, "High Plains Drifter" remains popular even today and represents one of the finest examples of the Western genre. This film is one of the best start points if you want to get familiar with Clint Eastwood's directing style. It hides its secret until the very last moment and reveals everything with its last scene. When the film opens with The Stranger killing three men and rapes a woman, I had no idea what was going on, but with the story developing, everything starts to make sense. He gets all the buildings painted in red and changes the name of the town from Lago to Hell for a reason which is held hidden until the very last scene.In order to understand the story, you need to pay attention to everything, because there are some scenes that reveal the truth about the revenge The Stranger comes to take. It is a very well made iconic film. Maybe the camera angles and the set don't create the necessary credibility, but overall image of the film is brilliant. Soundtracks keep the audience alert at all times and they fit the overall atmosphere of the film. Regarding the set, it is too obvious that it was recently built. In some scenes, camera angles are really bad and fails to focus on the bigger picture. In my opinion if camera was paying a little bit more attention to the reactions of people around, it would have helped to create a more credible atmosphere for the film. Other than the set, filming location is beautiful. Personally, I am sorry to see that this beautiful town of Lago is destroyed in the end of the film for good reason."High Plains Drifter" is a one-man film, but I can't say Eastwood's acting alone was enough for this film to be considered as a classic. The story behind justifies his reactions during the film. That's why both acting and the story are equally important and can't be separated. Even though before "High Plains Drifter", Clint Eastwood had this style, with this film he steps up and shows his talent as a director as well. All these years his contributions to cinema both as an actor and as a director can't be denied. Thanks to his early films like this one, he built a reputation and remained active until the present day. "High Plains Drifter" is a highly personalized Clint Eastwood film with a runtime of 105 minutes. Even though you are not a fan of Western, to understand the progression of Clint Eastwood, you need to watch this film.

After a few years on "Rawhide", Clint Eastwood got internationally famous with Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. I understand that a couple of movies in the US tried to unsuccessfully impersonate the spaghetti westerns. It was understandable that Clint, having made his directorial debut with "Play Misty for Me", would decide to direct his own western. The result was "High Plains Drifter".The movie itself is middling. Clint's nameless character (The Man with No Name yet again) is sort of a cross between an angel and a devil, doling out justice in a corrupt town. However, much of the movie comes across as silly, although that might have been the intention. Nevertheless, the westerns from this era that I recommend are Arthur Penn's "Little Big Man" and Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller".The rest of the cast includes Verna Bloom (Mrs. Wormer in "Animal House") and Billy Curtis (one of the munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz").

We all conscientiously form initial impressions as to how to process a movie, a book, music, architecture, clothes, or any number of things. When watching the opening sequence of High Plains Drifter I scratched my head a bit and decided this film was going to explore the dark side of human nature. That would include revenge, jealousy, lust, greed, and hypocrisy.The town people of Lago are attempting to live in a kind of a bubble. They desire to ignore as much as possible outside their city. They want a kind of closed utopia even if the bond between the various members in the town is all fake as everyone is out for number one with their only shared desire being keeping a profitable mine open. This was solidified after a earlier visit from some dark men resulted in the murder of the Lago sheriff who knew a dark secret about the mine that could destroy the town. After taking care of the sheriff situation the town decided to hire enforcers for what they couldn't stomach themselves. These men would be the filter keeping outsiders out and, also, to protect them from the same dark men who killed the sheriff as they went to prison unexpectedly which if they ever get out could be a revenge call waiting to happen. Now it's clear we have tenuous line between law and order, moral men and those pretending to be.Clint Eastwood's mysterious character (he isn't even revealing his name) is on the surface as bad as any gun slinging outlaw, but maybe the town can use him to their advantage as in short order the enforcers are all dead and those murderers seeking revenge are thought to be days away from being released from prison (i.e. more commentary on corrupt laws?). Thus a uneasy truce between Eastwood's drifter and the town is born. It's going to be a strange marriage to say the least.The uneasy truce gets more strange and things, naturally, reach a critical mass. The drifter is all about what you reap you sow it would appear as what is left of Lago will have to start over. Perhaps it will be a very different town sans certain hypocrites and a hideous red paint remaining. Lago is a town that won't be the same and that's for sure. The story is the movie and the movie is the story. It's a bit surreal and dreamy at times, but it's a solid western tragedy rooted in the classics. It's the old story of evil vs. good, just not as straightforward and more cryptic thanks to Eastwood's drifter character. A newer classic is the bottom line.

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a Clint Eastwood's best pulse-pounding western masterpiece film, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.High Plains Drifter (1973) is in my opinion Clint Eastwood's best pulse-pounding climax classic western masterpiece! It is my fourth favorite Eastwood western film flick and it is in my top 5 Eastwood western films! I love this movie and it is a tone horror dark western movie. Which is the film that I really believe, is a classic Clint Eastwood's best western! This is Clint Eastwood's second film as a director finds the celebrated action star returning to his familiar Old West stomping grounds and his internationally acclaimed role of "The Man With No Name." This time, The Stranger (Eastwood) mysteriously appears out of the heat waves of the desert and rides into the lawless, sin-ridden town of Lago. After making a name for himself with a string of blazing gun battles, The Stranger is hired by the townspeople to provide protection from three ruthless gunmen just out of jail. The Stranger quickly proceeds to paint the entire town bright red, rename it "Hell," and supply divine retribution in the fiery, pulse-pounding climax of this acclaimed western shoot-em-up.Plot: A drifter with no name (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are in high demand. When the drifter rides into Lago, he is met with incredulity and disapproval by the townspeople. But once he shows his skills with a pistol, the locals realize he may be able to help them fend off a band of criminals who have been terrorizing the town. He agrees to help the townspeople, but does so with his own secret agenda."You're going to look pretty silly with that knife sticking out of your ass." - Best Clint Eastwood's dialogue lines in the film. I like that this film has a good plot, it is mysterious and scary all the time. The three villainies Geoffrey Lewis, Dan Vadis, Anthony James are scary killers in this film, that no one can touches them, and they kill everything that moves. I love how this film is portrayed and that Eastwood is a mysterious stranger on a revenge against the corrupt, selfishness and greed in the town Lago. The movie is evolving about a murder of marshal Jim Duncan (Buddy Van Horn) who was murdered in the town of Lago from three outlaws and the towns people covered up. Clint Eatswood is probably which I assume Jim Duncan's brother that get's revenge on everyone. I have never seen in any movie the town been painted red and written Hell never. Buddy Van Horn been whipped to death by three outlaws. This film is gruesome, bloody and very violent with a gore and tons of shoot-em-up scenes. It is different than For a Few Dollars More but is still pretty good western flick.Like is said I think for a western flick that Clint Eastwood directed is probably his best western movie he directed. I love this movie to death I love it and it is my third Eastwood favorite western film! After he has killed the three men the locals ask if he will stick around and save them from three convicts who are being released after the town got them to commit a rather heinous crime. Seen in flashback scenes the crime is the brutal murder by whipping of a town Marshall. The problem in the film is actually the rape scene, which is tough to watch and the score is a little dated now. The good is not afraid to try something different and raises more questions than it answers. Engaging story, great performances and plenty of violence/action. You have even one explosion in it, the town is burning up in flames and the mysterious man kills all three outlaws on the same way that they killed Jim Duncan. It's not exactly feel good fare like I said and darker than you'd maybe expect but It's not without a sense of humor and Eastwood expertly directs it, keeping it well paced and relatively short at an hour and 45 minutes long.Overall: I seriously love this film to death! High Plains Drifter is a daring and quite different film with Eastwood not playing a hero type! This film get's a solid 10 by me which everyone of the cast did a solid performance cause I saw the acting been realistic and there are no CGI in this film! High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American supernatural western film produced by Robert Daley for Malpaso Company and Universal Studios, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, and written by Ernest Tidyman (who also wrote the novelization).10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: The Malpaso Company, Universal Studios Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Billy Curtis, Mitchell Ryan, Buddy Van Horn, Jack Ging, Stefan Gierasch, Ted Hartley, Geoffrey Lewis, Dan Vadis, Anthony James, John Hillerman Director: Clint Eastwood Producer: Robert Daley Screenplay: Ernest Tidyman Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 45 Mins. Budget: $5.500.000 Box Office: $15,700,000