High Plains Drifter

[BvBPL]

An undead spirit of vengeance returns to wreck revenge upon the town that betrayed him, and the men that killed him in this 1973 Western. This deconstruction of the classic genre features an oddly large number of bells and humming in the soundtrack and is The second movie directed by Clint Eastwood.

One of my favorites. Not quite the Good the Bad and the Ugly, but I'd put it above a Few Dollars More. Dare on say on par with Shane? Maybe just for my enjoyment factor.

Perhaps not the weirdest Western I've ever seen, that goes to Billy the Kidd versus Dracula, but probably the most surreal.

It's poetic, creepy, and far more thoughtful than most films of its time. A poignant reflection on community and xenophobia, it reminds me of that one twilight zone where the aliens turned off the power on the street.

 

[Birdjaguar]

It is hard to top TGTBTU. It is on par with, if not better than, the Magnificent 7, High Noon, and Tombstone.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I like the painting the town red part, but I am a simple guy and easily amused.

 

[BvBPL]

I like that it is obviously both a horror film and a western without being a hybrid of the two.

The Clint Eastwood phenomenon has fews equals in the file marked "Success Stories."

Someone got paid to write that.

 

[Formaldehyde]

It is an utterly silly Western which is surprisingly entertaining to watch. Eastwood even essentially rapes a woman, but you could argue she wanted to be raped.

I can't believe BJ even dared to mention High Noon in the same sentence with it, which quite deservedly won 4 Oscars.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I can't believe BJ even dared to mention High Noon in the same sentence with it, which quite deservedly won 4 Oscars.

You are clearly an unsophisticated watcher of westerns.

Of course, TGTBTU didn't have Grace Kelly

 

[Formaldehyde]

That was what I was just thinking. It is difficult to argue with the notion that Spaghetti Westerns were the epitome of the art form.


Link to video.

Rub him the wrong way, and he will go off in your face.

They just don't make films like that anymore.

 

[BvBPL]

We are much more sophisticated in this modern age.


Link to video.

So much more sophisticated.

 

[Berzerker]

High Pains Drifter reminds me of Vanishing Point, but it aint no Kelly's Heroes

 

[Birdjaguar]

I guess I missed that movie. BTW, not all Spaghetti Westerns rise to the quality of TGTBTU.

EDIT: referring to Forma's post.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Best Western honors go to Sam Peckinpah:


Link to video.


Link to video.

 

[Zkribbler]

High Noon is a snooze fest. :q:

 

[BvBPL]

It is an utterly silly Western which is surprisingly entertaining to watch. Eastwood even essentially rapes a woman, but you could argue she wanted to be raped.

I can't believe BJ even dared to mention High Noon in the same sentence with it, which quite deservedly won 4 Oscars.

Wow, it tied Unforgiven. That's pretty impressive for a movie that came out forty years earlier.

 

[Birdjaguar]

High Noon is a snooze fest. :q:

It was a sign of the times in movie making. Shane wasn't particularly action oriented either. The violent uptick came in the sixties after we were jaded by seeing Vietnam and race riots on TV.

 

[Silurian]

Once Upon A Time In The West is better.

 

[Kyriakos]

We are much more sophisticated in this modern age.


Link to video.

So much more sophisticated.

It has Sharon Stone. It doesn't need to be a good movie

 

[Atticus]

I liked it, the weirdness works quite well. Although, I can understand why the rape thing got people upset.

The class spaghetti western may not suit it as well as acid western. The latter ones are generally odd, but they can also be excruciating. As an advice, if you're staying home sick in fever, do not watch them.

 

[Kyriakos]

There was also that massive flop starring Kenneth Brana and Will Smith


Link to video.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I liked it, the weirdness works quite well. Although, I can understand why the rape thing got people upset.

Because brutally degrading the entire town is fine, but when you add sex it is going too far?

 

[Atticus]

No, I have nothing against sex, but the scene comes off like a fantasy of a sick misogynist.

And as I said, it doesn't bother me that much, but I can understand why people got upset.