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High Plains Drifter (1973)

R  |   |  Western  |  22 August 1973 (USA)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 33,413 users  
Reviews: 162 user | 70 critic

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.

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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Callie Travers (as Mariana Hill)
...
Jack Ging ...
...
Ted Hartley ...
...
...
Stacey Bridges
Scott Walker ...
Bill Borders
Walter Barnes ...
Sheriff Sam Shaw
...
...
Asa Goodwin
...
...
Bootmaker
Edit

Storyline

A Stranger rides into in the dusty mining town of Lago, where the townspeople are living in the shadow of a dark secret. After a shootout leaves the town's hired-gun protectors dead, the town's leaders petition the Stranger to stay and protect them from three ruthless outlaws who are soon to be released from prison. The three have their sights set on returning to Lago to wreak havoc and take care of some unfinished business. A series of events soon has the townspeople questioning whether siding with the Stranger was a wise idea as they quickly learn the price that they each must pay for his services. As the outlaws make their way back into Lago, they discover that the town is not exactly as they had left it, and waiting in the shadows is the Stranger, ready to expose the town's secret and serve up his own brand of justice. Written by bob-oconnor1964

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

They'd never forget the day he drifted into town. See more »

Genres:

Western

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 August 1973 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

La venganza del muerto  »

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 1,512,351 (Sweden)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Stranger is similar to The Man With No Name persona familiar to Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns, and they even wear a similar hat. The character in the film has no personal name and is only referred to in the billing as The Stranger. See more »

Goofs

Regarding one of the three bad guys who confront the Stranger in the barber shop. The tall guy with the beard who is shot and crashes through the window into the street. As he attempts to support himself against the hitching post one can clearly see the shape of an elbow protector for his left arm under his shirt. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
The Stranger: Beer... and a bottle.
Lutie Naylor: Ain't much good, but it's all there is.
[brings drinks]
Lutie Naylor: You want anything else?
The Stranger: Just a peaceful hour to drink it in.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The closing shot of The Stranger disappearing into the heatwaves plays out over the end credits. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Pumaman (1998) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Clint Eastwood's Signature Film!
8 July 2005 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Of all of his westerns, his performance in 'Drifter was time and again the movie that, unarguably to me, defined his career. From the opening minutes when he rides into town, and coolly walks up to the bar, to the time he vaporizes into thin air when the credits roll, his performance in this film was gritty, flawless and truly Eastwood. Another quality to the movie is it's blend of atmosphere and story, no wonder why its played over and over again on TV. I remember watching it for the first time when I was around 12 (1985) I was very impressionable then and I remember how cool it was to watch Clint go thru his motions during the movie. Nobody knew his name or where he came from, and he didn't oblige them by making them guess throughout the movie. He shot his gun with lethal accuracy when anyone gave him trouble, and was noncommittal to the cowardly townsfolk who wanted his help to take care of the outlaws released from jail. He did things his own way. Those are just some of the reasons why I gave this film 9 stars out of a perfect 10.


18 of 24 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
The reason you're all arguing about the rape scene. leapgirl16
Painting the town red? jonathan1956
'It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid.' Gonsaro
oh so its not rape? then why would she try to shoot him the next day! jme90
'High Plains Drifter' remake: what would they do differently? lou-114
Interpretation of a quote mrnoonmaths
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