History Film / PaleRider

* NiceGuy: Hull's a great guy, just [[RomanticRunnerup really bland]] compared to the {{badass}} [[TheGunslinger Preacher]].

* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler: Club ends up helping the Preacher in one of the last fights of the film, grabbing Josh [=LaHood=] as he's about to shoot Preacher InTheBack.]]

* DramaticGunCock: The Preacher methodically reloads his Remington Model 1858 revolver by switching out preloaded cylinders. Each time he does it, he's out in the open, in plain view of Stockburn's men, with an unconcerned expression on his face, ''[[ImplacableMan because they can't stop him]]''.

* HeelFaceTurn: Initially content to be a {{Mook}} for [=LaHood=], [[spoiler: Club turns around upon witnessing Megan's near-assault by Josh [=LaHood=], and then helps The Preacher and Hull destroy the [=LaHood=]Hood mine system.]]

* BadassLongcoat: Stockburn's entire posse wears matching brown coats. When they're all standing in a line looking down at a victim, it's pretty intimidating.
** The Preacher has a {{Badass}} duster himself, though he usually wears it closed. [[spoiler: Until he takes up his guns....]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pale_rider_2087.jpg]]

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''Film/{{Shane}}''. This is '''''Pale Rider''''', a 1985 {{Western}} directed by and starring Creator/ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad [=LaHood=]]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

-->-- '''[[Literature/BookOfRevelation Revelation]] 6:7–8'''

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''Film/{{Shane}}''. This is ''Pale Rider'', a Western directed by and starring Creator/ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad [=LaHood=]]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

* Don'tFearTheReaper: The Preacher seems to represent one of The Four Horsemen, Death specifically. It's to interpretation if he really is human, though.

* HeelFaceTurn: Initially content to be a {{Mook}} for [=LaHood=], [[spoiler: Club turns around upon witnessing Megan's near-assault by Josh [=LaHood=], and then helps The Preacher and Hull destroy the [=LaHood=]Hood mine system.]]

* TitleDrop: "[[AsTheGoodBookSays I looked and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named Death.]]"

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''Film/{{Shane}}''. This is ''Pale Rider'', a Western directed by and starring Creator/ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad La Hood]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

Most of the miners are about to give in--except for [[PluckyGirl spunky protagonist Megan]], her mother, and their friend Hull Barret--when the Preacher shows up. The Preacher intervenes on Hull's behalf, saving him from La Hood's {{mook}}s. With some convincing from Hull and Megan, the rest of the miners unite behind the Preacher against La Hood. Unfortunately, La Hood also recognizes the threat posed by the Preacher and in retaliation he hires [[TheDragon Stockburn]], a corrupt [[USMarshal marshal]] with a deadly posse. It seems as though Stockburn and the Preacher have a history.

The film is notable for being one of the very few Eastwood films to have strong religious and supernatural overtones. Many of its elements are derived from or similar to earlier Eastwood Westerns, namely ''Film/DollarsTrilogy'' and ''Film/HighPlainsDrifter''.

* BadassPreacher: Comes with having ClintEastwood play him. [[spoiler: Even before he takes up his guns,]] he manages to keep the La Hoods at bay via mental intimidation.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler: Club ends up helping the Preacher in one of the last fights of the film, grabbing [=LaHood's=] son as he's about to shoot Preacher InTheBack.]]

* TheDragon: Stockburn, when he shows up, becomes this to La Hood.
%%* TheDrifter
* DuelToTheDeath: The finale ends up being Stockburn vs. Preacher

* HeelFaceTurn: Initially content to be a {{Mook}} for La Hood, [[spoiler: Club turns around upon witnessing Megan's near-assault by one of the La Hood sons, and then helps The Preacher and Hull destroy the La Hood mine system.]]

* TheGunslinger: The Preacher seemingly ''was'' one, [[spoiler: and takes up his guns again to defeat Stockburn and La Hood.]] Stockburn and his men also count.
* HiredGuns: Hull sort-of hires The Preacher with room and board. La Hood hires Stockburn and his boys.

* KickTheDog: The thugs [[{{Anvilicious}} shoot a girl's pet puppy]] in the opening scene. Later on, Stockburn's gang [[spoiler: kills one of the miners.]]

%%* PrecociousCrush: Megan to Preacher.
%%* {{Prospector}}

%%* RomanticRunnerup: Hull for Sarah, [[spoiler: initially. She comes to accept his proposal upon realizing it would never work out between her and The Preacher.]]

%%* StockQuotes: See TitleDrop
%%* TookALevelInBadass Hull

* RecycledPremise: The film can come across as a loose remake of ''Film/{{Shane}}''.

* BadassPreacher: Comes with having ClintEastwood play him. [[spoiler: Even before he takes up his guns,]] he manages to keep the La Hoods at by mental intimidation.

* CombatPragmatist: The Preacher is quite clever with his use of surroundings. And instead of fighting the giant when they first meet, he manipulates him to help split a rock he an Hull were trying to break.

* BadassPreacher: Comes with having ClintEastwood play him. [[spoiler: Even before he takes up his guns, he manages to keep the La Hoods at by mental intimidation.]]

%%* AsTheGoodBookSays
%%* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Stockburn, the marshal
%%* BackFromTheDead: Strongly implied.

%%* BadassPreacher

%%* CombatPragmatist: The Preacher

%%* TheDragon: Stockburn

%%* TheGunslinger: Plenty of 'em.
%%* HiredGuns
%%* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: See TitleDrop.
%%* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: [[spoiler: Narrowly averted.]]

* ItsPersonal: Implied, between Stockburn and the Preacher
* KickTheDog: The thugs [[{{Anvilicious}} shoot a girl's pet puppy]] in the opening scene. Later on, Stockburn's gang [[spoiler: kills one of the miners]]
%%* LoveConfession

%%* MysteriousPast

%%* NoNameGiven

%%* RecycledPremise

%%* RomanticRunnerup: Hull, [[spoiler: initially]]
%%* SceneryPorn

* LoveTriangle: Both Megan and her mother have romantic interest in the Preacher, oddly enough. But [[CelibateHero he doesn't seem to return the feelings for either of them]].
** [[spoiler: He was discrete with Sarah. He shut the door of the stable and put the light out.]]
** Of course, being that he's probably a ghost, it's possible that he can't return their feelings, physically or otherwise.

* RapePillageAndBurn: The raping is absent, but pillaging and burning appear in the beginning of the film, courtesy of the BigBad's {{mook}}s.
** The raping comes later, but the preacher intervenes to stop it going the course.

* [[DeterminedHomesteader Determined]] [[DeterminedWidow Prospector]] [[DeterminedHomesteadersChildren Family]]

* [[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye]]: Megan to Preacher at the end

* AsTheGoodBookSays
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Stockburn, the marshal
* BackFromTheDead: Strongly implied.

* BadassPreacher

* ChekhovsGun: Bison model
* CombatPragmatist: The Preacher
* ConservationOfNinjutsu

* DefeatMeansFriendship[= / =]HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Club ends up helping the Preacher in one of the last fights of the film, grabbing [=LaHood's=] son as he's about to shoot Preacher InTheBack.]]

* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Preacher and Sarah.
* TheDragon: Stockburn
* TheDrifter

* TheGunslinger: Plenty of 'em.
* HiredGuns
* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: See TitleDrop.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: [[spoiler: Narrowly averted.]]

* LoveConfession

* MysteriousPast

* NoNameGiven
* PluckyGirl: Megan
* PrecociousCrush: Megan to Preacher.
* {{Prospector}}

* RecycledPremise

* RomancingTheWidow: Hull and Sarah
* RomanticRunnerup: Hull, [[spoiler: initially]]
* SceneryPorn

* SmittenTeenageGirl

* StockQuotes: See TitleDrop
* TookALevelInBadass Hull

* TheUnreveal

!!''PaleRider'' provides examples of:

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''Film/{{Shane}}''. This is ''Film/PaleRider'', a Western directed by and starring Creator/ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad La Hood]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Megan to Preacher at the end

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''{{Shane}}''. This is ''Film/PaleRider'', a Western directed by and starring Creator/ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad La Hood]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

[[RecycledPremise No, this is not]] ''{{Shane}}''. This is ''PaleRider'', a Western directed by and starring ClintEastwood. Eastwood is cast as a [[strike: [[DollarsTrilogy Man]] ]] [[NoNameGiven Preacher With No Name]] who crosses paths with a band of hapless gold miners hoping to strike it rich. The miners are often harassed by thugs hired by [[BigBad La Hood]], the CorruptCorporateExecutive of a local mining company, who hopes to drive them off the land.

The film is notable for being one of the very few Eastwood films to have strong religious and supernatural overtones. Many of its elements are derived from or similar to earlier Eastwood Westerns, namely TheManWithNoName trilogy and HighPlainsDrifter

* HeyItsThatGuy: Hey look! It's [[JamesBond Jaws]]!

* DirectedByCastMember