History YMMV / HighPlainsDrifter

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: This is definitely one of the most nihilistic mainstream Hollywood films ever made. The Stranger is a rapist and a multiple murderer, the bandits are sadistic torturers, and every single one of the townsfolk, save Mordecai, are selfish, apathetic assholes. There are almost ''zero'' characters remotely worth rooting for in the film, and those who are worth sympathy are dead or non-entities before the movie hits its halfway point. How much you end up liking the film basically comes down to how compelling you find the central mystery of who The Stranger is supposed to be.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Originally, the stranger was [[spoiler: the marshal's brother]] and may still be; the script was changed to leave it up to the viewers. The most common are [[spoiler:the ghost of the Marshal, Death or even Satan himself.]]
** It is a fact that the Stranger does ride a pale horse...
* AcceptableTargets: The [[DirtyCoward cowardly]] of course. The townsfolk are repeatedly shown to be either unwillingly to confront or even care about the evils within their own town.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The Stranger is a rapist and a multiple murderer, the bandits are sadistic torturers, and every single one of the townsfolk, save Mordecai, are selfish, apathetic assholes. There are almost ''zero'' characters remotely worth rooting for in the film, and those who are worth sympathy are dead or non-entities before the movie hits its halfway point.

* CompleteMonster: Stacey Bridges is a ruthless {{outlaw}} who once participated in the murder of Marshal Jim Duncan, whipping him savagely in the center of [[TownWithADarkSecret town]] and torturing him to death as the lawman begged for help from the corrupt townsfolk. Enraged by the betrayal of the town, Bridges returns from imprisonment. Killing the defenders of the town, he plans to burn the rest down and slaughter all the townsfolk.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The Stranger is a rapist and a multiple murderer, the bandits are sadistic torturers, and every single one of the townsfolk are selfish, apathetic assholes. There are almost ''zero'' characters remotely worth rooting for in the film, and those who are worth sympathy are dead or non-entities before the movie hits its halfway point.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The Stranger is a rapist and a multiple murderer, the bandits are sadistic torturers, and every single one of the townsfolk are selfish, apathetic assholes. There are almost ''zero'' characters remotely worth rooting for in the film, and those who are worth sympathy are dead or non-entities before the movie hits its halfway point.

* SpiritualAdaptation: If ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' ever did a western-themed episode, it would have probably been like this.

* WhatAnIdiot: The townspeople have their ambush set up and ready, the gunmen ride into town, and what do they do? Cower down and refuse to shoot.
** Then again, the townspeople have already shown plenty of both moral and actual cowardice up to this point, and the stranger was practically counting on this reaction.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Originally, the stranger was [[spoiler: the marshal's brother]] and may still be, the script was changed to leave it up to the viewers. The most common are [[spoiler: the ghost of the Marshal, Death or even Satan himself.]]

* DeadAllAlong: A popular interpretation is that [[spoiler:the Stranger is the ghost of the dead marshal, given that he relives the marshal's death, which he wasn't there for otherwise. There's also, of course, the last line of dialogue in the movie. "I never did know your name" "Yes you do", as the camera pans to show the previous marshal's gravestone and name. He could also be some sort of avenging spirit as well. The original script identified him as the marshal's brother]].

* DeadAllAlong: A popular interpretation is that [[spoiler:the Stranger is the ghost of the dead marshal, given that he relives the marshal's death, which he wasn't there for otherwise. He could also be some sort of avenging spirit as well. The original script identified him as the marshal's brother]].

* DeadAllAlong: A popular interpretation is that [[spoiler:the Stranger is the ghost of the dead Marshall, given that he relives the marshal's death, which he wasn't there for otherwise. He could also be some sort of avenging spirit as well. The original script identified him as the marshal's brother]].

* [[spoiler: DeadAllAlong]]: The Stranger. [[spoiler: it's implied he's the spirit of the dead marshal returned to take revenge on both the men who killed him and the townspeople, some of whom were responsible for the plot to kill the marshal and the rest too cowardly and greedy to do anything about the murder.]]
** [[spoiler: Eastwood makes it ambiguous. He COULD be the spirit of the dead Marshall, but on the other hand the original script claimed he was the dead marshall's brother and the film does nothing to refute this. If he were the marshall's brother, he'd still have the same name i.e. the same last name, as the marshall. Plus The Stranger seems to do a lot of the things that 'out and out ghost' [[PaleRider The Preacher]] couldn't i.e. have sex]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Originally, the stranger was [[spoiler: the marshal's brother]] and may still be, the script was changed to leave it up to the viewers. The most common are [[spoiler: the ghost of the Marshal or Satan.]]