Pale Rider - Review

  

         

"There's plain few problems that can't be solved with a little sweat and hard work."

         

Western is a genre as old as cinema itself, and it has in it everything that America represents or did at one point. However, as much as it is an American genre, it does lack one of the key aspects of its culture: religion. I am not talking about the imagery of Christ or the occasional encounters with preachers and churches, but rather the hope and sense of community that people found in their faith.

I have read many reviews about this film and comparisons with Shane (1953) are all too common, especially on Letterboxd, and while I have yet to see the movie, I can see its influence, especially in the way it tries to portray heroism and doing the right thing for others. Pale Rider is a product of a dying genre, one that started to become smaller and more emotional. Long are the days of Native American fights with the Colonial Powers of the 19th century; humanity is at the forefront, and the struggles of surviving in lands that do not want us here are the main attraction.

With all that said, what is most important to the film is creating communities and creating a home. Clint Eastwood plays a preacher who not only helps a mining town to be resilient and stick to one another, but it emboldens them to keep fighting for what's right and unify their strength to create a just world for their children and themselves. The film speaks to me in a primal sense, and I believe many of the first-time watchers are also affected by this. Partly because we are 40 years detached from the movie, and we can see that the values of communication and unity are lost in this modern and digital world, but also, due to the elites and media pushing anti-social ideas or behaviour. 

The theatrical trailer and poster do not match the energy of the film, as it tries to sell this movie as an action film when, in reality, it is heartfelt and honest about the use of violence and surprisingly grounded in the dangers caused by men. 

In a world filled with environmental destruction, rich people getting away with their dehumanization of humans and workers, and the lack of any sense of justice... Hope, Friends, Family, and neighborhoods can be the difference between leaving the place one calls home and having one to build for.

         

         

Final Score - 5/5