| 1 | * 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... |
| 2 | * CompleteMonster: Stacey Bridges is a ruthless {{outlaw}} who once participated in the murder of Marshal Jim Duncan, [[ATasteOfTheLash whipping him savagely]] in the center of [[TownWithADarkSecret town]] and torturing him to death as the lawman begged for help from the corrupt [[UngratefulTownsfolk 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. |
| 3 | * SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Billy Curtis, who'd had a long career as one of Hollywood's token little people, including starring in ''Film/TheTerrorOfTinyTown'' and playing [[Film/TheWizardOfOz a Munchkin]], turns in a pitch-perfect performance as Mordecai, who becomes the film's moral center and ends up as its EnsembleDarkhorse. |
| 4 | * SpiritualAdaptation: You can easily picture a shorter version of this story as a western-themed ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone1959 Twilight Zone]]'' episode. |
| 5 | * 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 and how much you appreciate the GenreDeconstruction it's engaging in. |
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