High Plains Drifter
Movie, 1973, The '70s, Set in Lago
High Plains Drifter is #18 of 34 in release order and #15 of 34 in chronological order in the Westerns.
The story
A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.
High Plains Drifter recap
High Plains Drifter (1973) brings a nameless stranger to the mining town of Lago, whose people hire him to defend them from outlaws they double-crossed. Clint Eastwood directs and plays the Stranger. Within an hour he kills three hired gunmen in the barbershop and assaults Callie Travers (Marianna Hill), a townswoman who insults him. Nightmares show the town's former marshal, Jim Duncan, being whipped to death by Stacey Bridges and the Carlin brothers while the citizens watched. The townsfolk had hired the outlaws to kill Duncan before he could report that the mine sat on government land, then had the killers jailed. With the gang about to be freed, the town council offers the Stranger whatever he wants. He makes the dwarf Mordecai (Billy Curtis) sheriff and mayor, hands out free goods, empties the hotel for himself, and orders every building painted red. Hotel owner Sarah Belding (Verna Bloom) tells him Duncan lies in an unmarked grave. The film stands alone.
High Plains Drifter ending explained
High Plains Drifter ends with the Stranger killing the outlaws after they overrun the town he renamed Hell, then riding past a new grave marker for Jim Duncan. The townspeople's ambush fails, and the Stranger whips one Carlin to death and shoots the rest; Mordecai kills Lewis Belding as he aims at the Stranger. Mordecai says he never knew the man's name, and the Stranger answers that he does. Some foreign dubs make the Stranger Duncan's brother.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch High Plains Drifter
High Plains Drifter is streaming on YouTube (free) and Fawesome in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
- Release order: after McCabe & Mrs. Miller, before Blazing Saddles.
- Chronological order: after McCabe & Mrs. Miller, before Blazing Saddles.
Cast
- Clint Eastwood as The Stranger
- Verna Bloom as Sarah Belding
- Marianna Hill as Callie Travers
- Mitchell Ryan as Dave Drake
- Jack Ging as Morgan Allen
- Stefan Gierasch as Mayor Jason Hobart
- Ted Hartley as Lewis Belding
- Billy Curtis as Mordecai
- Geoffrey Lewis as Stacey Bridges
- Scott Walker as Bill Borders
- Walter Barnes as Sheriff Sam Shaw
- Paul Brinegar as Lutie Naylor
Directed by Clint Eastwood.