In Pale Rider, Clint Eastwood returned to the saddle after nine years - and Western movies were riding high again. Here the star/director crafted an exciting film in the suspenseful tradition of Shane and High Noon.
After corporate mining boss Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) begins a campaign of terror to drive independent pan miners out the area, a nameless stranger called Preacher (Eastwood) rides into the underdogs' camp. He becomes their avenger. The tycoon then hires a badge-wearing killer and his duster-shrouded deputies, men loyal to whomever pays the most. LaHood pays gold. But in a climatic shoot-out to remember, Preacher pays in lead.