High Plains Drifter (1973)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Sajin P

  
  The Stranger fails to match up to The Man With No Name. But still it's a solid enough western flick. With a pinch of super-natural tone, High Plains Drifter is a gruesome blood-bathed ride, quite eery at times.

• moon r

  
  There's not many western/ghost stories in the movies despite the rich american tradition of the same ... and this tale of ominous revenge (a precursor to "pale rider") never fails to chill, time after time.

• Jacob E

  
  This isn't your standard western in the slightest, which is why it works so well. I can't say too much beyond that without spoiling one of the coolest western plots ever written. Highly re-watchable thanks to a very clever script (without saying too much, when the Stranger… More
  This isn't your standard western in the slightest, which is why it works so well. I can't say too much beyond that without spoiling one of the coolest western plots ever written. Highly re-watchable thanks to a very clever script (without saying too much, when the Stranger speaks, take his words seriously). This is probably my favorite western film, so give it a shot.

• Reid V

  
  A stranger rides into town. With no name and seemingly no agenda but pure barbarism, he is given carte blanche to fight off a band of invaders who have their sights set on the town. He steals, rapes, and upsets the social hierarchy for his own pleasure. Yet, the town accepts this type… More
  A stranger rides into town. With no name and seemingly no agenda but pure barbarism, he is given carte blanche to fight off a band of invaders who have their sights set on the town. He steals, rapes, and upsets the social hierarchy for his own pleasure. Yet, the town accepts this type of upheaval for their safety from the foreign invaders. While I will not bore you with the obvious parallels that can be made between this film and modern America, I will implore you to watch this film. Eastwood's sophomore directorial effort is one of his finest. Armed with the knowledge he garnered on the sets of Leone's spaghetti westerns, he weaves together a western that touches on the high price of security, social responsibility, and dare I say reincarnation.

• Conner R

  
  Stylistically, this is Clint Eastwood's greatest directorial effort. It just spares no expense at looking and acting cool, much like it's protagonist. Anyone who's a fan of The Man With No Name will find themselves in familiar territory, but in no way does this have the… More
  Stylistically, this is Clint Eastwood's greatest directorial effort. It just spares no expense at looking and acting cool, much like it's protagonist. Anyone who's a fan of The Man With No Name will find themselves in familiar territory, but in no way does this have the same message as Sergio Leone's westerns. This is extremely dark and ultraviolent, being a morality tale above all. Some of the sequences in this are almost unbelievable, especially The Drifter's entrance into the town. This has an intensity than not many movies share. To say it's a classic is unfair because it tries so hard to be a different kind of western. However, I can say that it's my favorite Western that Clint Eastwood directed.

• Cassandra M

  
  A small frontier town is worried and scared for it's future. Three men who murdered the sheriff in front of the whole town have been released from jail and are heading back to take revenge on the town. When a stranger comes into town, he is offered anything he wants if he will… More
  A small frontier town is worried and scared for it's future. Three men who murdered the sheriff in front of the whole town have been released from jail and are heading back to take revenge on the town. When a stranger comes into town, he is offered anything he wants if he will help defend them against the men. The stranger accepts but both he and the townsfolk have hidden agendas. High Plains Drifter stands out from Eastwood's many good westerns simply because it is a lack darker than many others I've seen and also possesses a weird supernatural quality to it. The plot is immediately dark, although it starts with Eastwood being who we expect him to be, an early rape sets him out with a more morally complex character than I had expected. This darker, cruel strand continues as it is clear that, although hired to protect them, the stranger also seems to be taking pleasure from harming the town itself. Those who have seen it will know the ending, although it is evident from the first flashback what the film's twist is. Knowing it doesn't make the film less enjoyable but it is probably better to figure it out yourself. The film also has a good streak of humour going through it and is enjoyable ? the twist of the stranger punishing the townsfolk easily filling the time. Eastwood is as good as always but the support cast is also full of well known faces. The direction is good and adds to the weird feel to it, the music makes it feel other worldly and the flashbacks to the whipping stop it all getting too light. By the time the town literally becomes hell, the film has always won me over. Overall this is maybe not the best western Eastwood has ever done but it is certainly one of the most different! The supernatural twist and the streak of cruelty running through the film make it very interesting to watch.

• Tim S

  
  Fantastic film from Eastwood. Brutal, honest and entertaining.

• xGary X

  
  Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this obvious homage to Sergio Leone as he resurrects the man with no name character, as an enigmatic gunslinger rides into the town of Lago and promptly kills the gunmen hired by the townsfolk to protect them against a trio of vengeful outlaws. They… More
  Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this obvious homage to Sergio Leone as he resurrects the man with no name character, as an enigmatic gunslinger rides into the town of Lago and promptly kills the gunmen hired by the townsfolk to protect them against a trio of vengeful outlaws. They offer him the run of the town to replace them, but it soon emerges that he has a hidden agenda of his own. Another fine western from Clint, and laced with a healthy dose of the supernatural, this film is unusual in it's complete absence of a "good guy". The morality is not even grey; virtually every character is a self centred immoral hypocrite! Clint himself hasn't the slightest interest in justice, just bloody retribution which he gets in a great climax which sees him shooting it out in the blood red painted, flaming wreckage of the town. Stylish, gritty and an obvious inspiration for fantasy revenge flicks such as The Crow and Eastwood's own Pale Rider.

• danny d

  
  many consider this to be eastwoods fourth film as the infamous "man with no name". this is the first film that he did with this sort of character that was not directed by sergio leone, and there are enough differences between the man with no name from leones trilogy and… More
  many consider this to be eastwoods fourth film as the infamous "man with no name". this is the first film that he did with this sort of character that was not directed by sergio leone, and there are enough differences between the man with no name from leones trilogy and eastwoods character in this film to believe that the character is similar, but not the same. eastwood directed this film, and in it a few of the "man with no name's" trademarks are missing and the explination for this character is probably ore supernatural. pay attention to the final 2 minutes of the film, and you will see that eastwood is actually probably playing a ghost in this film. it was a decent film but there really was no character that you could root for. even as the hero, eastwood was more of an antihero with some terrible characterisitics, like a scene when he rapes a woman. this was a decent flick and worth a watch, but doesnt stand up to the man with no name trilogy that it is often compared to.

• Dean !

  
  A great western with a theme of revenge....as a mysterious man comes through town to help fight off the local gang making their lives hell. Has some quality scenes and good shoot-outs!

• Michael G

  
  Picture a western version of The Crow, except not gay and way better.

• Dean M

  
  Really mystery about the Stranger who rode into the guilt-ridden town and I found out at the final scene that he was a ghost. It should be the first supernatural western film.

• Donnie D

  
  If there's ever an actor that would sell me in watching a western, that man would be Clint Eastwood. A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. The best… More
  If there's ever an actor that would sell me in watching a western, that man would be Clint Eastwood. A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. The best thing about western is that they have good story, and this one is no different. I was mostly satisfied by the story as the more it went on the more I got interested. The small supernatural elements made it more interesting in my opinion as it added a more unique feel as I was watching this. One thing about the story that's bad is that the town people are represented as cowards for the whole movie and they don't exactly improve though the at the end either. As always, Clint Eastwood performance is spectacular as "the stranger" or nameless cowboy as he known for. Whenever Clint Eastwood is given a unnamed Cowboy you better expect nothing but the best. The direction was great, the cinematography was great, and cast fit well into there characters. Now this may not be as good as some of Clint Eastwood other western, especially Unforgiven, but it's still a nice alternative and a unique take on the western genre from the man who is the best in that genre.

• Burger S

  
  One of his better westerns from the 70's & 80's. Although Clint's character does just revenge-rape a lady in it. What was up with that? Oooooohhhh Weeeee... What Up Wit Dat?

• Cameron J

  
  I thought they were referring to a man who travels through the high plains. Now, I think that he's a man who just travels through regular plains. He's just high while he does it. I mean, look at the evidence: He can't tell you his name, he has a constantly tired look… More
  I thought they were referring to a man who travels through the high plains. Now, I think that he's a man who just travels through regular plains. He's just high while he does it. I mean, look at the evidence: He can't tell you his name, he has a constantly tired look about him and there's crazy supernatural stuff everywhere. Of course, you don't need to be high to see the depth in this, but I'm pretty sure that it'll freak you out like you wouldn't believe. Wow, my reviews are getting less and less classy, but that's beside the point. The point is that Eastwood's second shot at directing lands dead-center with its offbeat attributes and thought-provoking depth. But before we get to that, we have to discuss the flaws of the film. The film suffers from a lack of development, slowness, overdrawn scenes, some forced events and the occasional weak side performances. Still, it is supported by a lack of development, fine production designs, solid action sequences, some decent dialogue, mostly good side performances, excellent cinematography and a great score. Man, what a same-old-same-old cons/pros list. Speaking of forced segwa-I mean same-old-same-old, don't expect that here, as the film has fascinating, offbeat elements, particularly a supernatural element that director Clint Eastwood incorporates into the story quite well. That's not the only thing that he does right as a director, as he also conveys the message that limitations keep society from corruption in a very fitting and fascinating way. Of course, as good as he is at directing, he still manages to retain enough energy to step in front of his own camera to do what he does best: capture his mysterious character's quiet eeriness, but still manage to bring enough life to make him a compelling leading man. Really, as much as I'm praising the film, the slowness and other problems definately keep it from being solid, but that's not to say that "High Plains Drifter" isn't an offbeat and thought-provoking psychological thriller of a Western tale told gracefully by Eastwood's chilling, clever and generally solid direction and lead performance.

• Danny R

  
  A brooding, thought-provoking dark western by star/director Clint Eastwood, It begins with a scorched plateau then suddenly a shadow of a man on horseback emerges out of the wary distant heat vapors galloping towards the lakefront town of Largo, the mysterious stranger slowly rides… More
  A brooding, thought-provoking dark western by star/director Clint Eastwood, It begins with a scorched plateau then suddenly a shadow of a man on horseback emerges out of the wary distant heat vapors galloping towards the lakefront town of Largo, the mysterious stranger slowly rides through town with a hardened look on his face and unknown intentions, the townspeople are cowering weaklings who look upon the nameless stranger with fear especially after he has killed three hired gunmen single-handedly, when they foolishly try to pick a fight with him, Clint Eastwood delivers a compelling and memorable performance as the stranger who the townspeople have now hired to protect them from three revenge-seeking criminals who get out of prison in a few days and are responsible for the murder of the town's sheriff who they bull whipped to death in front of all the townspeople, various indications throughout this film suggest that the unstoppable stranger is some sort of reincarnation of the murdered sheriff an embodiment of pure deadly retribution. Astute direction by Clint Eastwood and superb supporting performances by Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan, Jack Ging, Geoffrey Lewis, and Anthony James. Special kudos must go to Billy Curtis for his solid turn as Mordecai the town midget, the film is also accented by a haunting score by Dee Barton and excellent cinematography by Bruce Surtees. An exceptionally entertaning motion picture and one of Clint Eastwood's finest early directorial achievements. Highly Recommended.

• Christopher O

  
  One of Eastwood's best westerns, directed by and starring the man himself. Clint plays the stranger who comes to a town to protect and may leave it in worst shape. Great action and Clint looks like he is having a ball. A great entertainment piece.

• Deb S

  
  Clint Eastwood stars as a mysterious and nameless drifter who stumbles upon the town of Lagos and within the first twenty minutes of being in the town, he shoots three people and rapes another, rocking the entire town. But instead of trying to run him out of town, the townspeople hire… More
  Clint Eastwood stars as a mysterious and nameless drifter who stumbles upon the town of Lagos and within the first twenty minutes of being in the town, he shoots three people and rapes another, rocking the entire town. But instead of trying to run him out of town, the townspeople hire him to protect them against three outlaws recently released from prison who are expected to arrive in a day or two. As time goes by Eastwood's demands become more and more troublesome and the cure truly becomes worse than the disease when he paints the town red and renames it Hell. This is a brutal mystical western venturing into the supernatural which is not to be missed and will keep your mind busy for a while.

• Kyle M

  
  One of my absolute favorites. Powerful and timeless.

• Jonny C

  
  Good western starring Clint Eastwood. High Plains Drifter is a slick western about a mysterious stranger who stops at the small town of Lago. When he guns down the three hired guns who the towns folk rely on for protection from 3 deadly outlaws, they hire Clint to defend them.… More
  Good western starring Clint Eastwood. High Plains Drifter is a slick western about a mysterious stranger who stops at the small town of Lago. When he guns down the three hired guns who the towns folk rely on for protection from 3 deadly outlaws, they hire Clint to defend them. Eastwood has never been cooler, even his clothes are awesome, and he directs the movie with a sense of honesty that's lacking in most westerns. Overall, another Clint classic.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings