High Plains Drifter

Clint Eastwood's second film as a director (and his first Western) is a variation on the "man with no name" theme, starring Eastwood as the drifter known only as "the Stranger." He rides into the desert town of Lagos and is quickly attacked by three gunmen. Recovering with the aid of a local dwarf (a memorable role for Billy Curtis), the Stranger is hired by the intimidated townsfolk to fend off a band of violent ex-convicts whom they'd prior, put to prison. After teaching the citizens self-defense and instructing them to paint the entire town red and rename the welcome sign "Hell," the Stranger vanishes. He reappears when the marauding criminals arrive, and Justice delivers the learning townsfolk a harsh lesson about moral obligation. Is he a figure from their past or a kind of supernatural avenger? Combining humor with action, High Plains Drifter is both a serious and tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Westerns that made Eastwood a household name. --Jeff Shannon "Mister., You're a man that makes people afraid. And that's dangerous." Eastwood's 'Stranger role:' "it's what people know about themselves inside which makes them afraid."

Genre: Western

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan

Production: Universal Pictures


IMDB:: 7.6
Metacritic:: 69
Rotten Tomatoes:: 96%

High Plains Drifter Screenplay »

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: R
Year:: 1973
: 105
: 8,351 Views

Morgan Allen:
I wouldn't give you the combination to the gates of hell.

The Stranger:
Beer... and a bottle.

The Stranger:
Just a peaceful bar to drink in.

Warden:
Bridges, you Carlin boys, don't forget your tickets back to my little hotel

Warden:
Don't worry, they ain't loaded.

Stacey Bridges, Outlaw:
What about our horses? We rode in here on three good animals.

Warden:
What do you think you been eatin' the last six months.

Cole Carlin, Outlaw:
Damn him! I didn't think I was eatin' my own horse! He's lying. That slop he fed us wasn't our horses. He stole 'em and sold 'em, that's what he done!

Stacey Bridges, Outlaw:
Shut up!

Stacey Bridges, Outlaw:
When we get to Lago, you can have the mayor's horse, fried or barbecued.

Mordecai:
What happens after?

The Stranger:
Hmm?

Mordecai:
What do we do when it's over?

The Stranger:
Then you live with it.

Callie Travers:
From a distance, you'd almost pass as a man... but up close, you're certainly a disappointment.

The Stranger:
And your feet, ma'am, are almost as big as your mouth.

Sarah Belding:
Be careful. You're a man who makes people afraid, and that's dangerous.

The Stranger:
Why, it's people only fear what they know about themselves.

The Stranger:
I'm faster than you'll ever live to be.

Sheriff Dan Shaw:
Billy, he wasn't a loved man. He didn't have much personality and what he did have was all bad.

The Stranger:
Wonder what took her so long to get mad?

Mordecai:
Because maybe you didn't go back for more?

Callie Travers:
Just what do you consider going too far? Isn't forcible rape in broad daylight a misdemeanor in this town?

The Stranger:
I'd love to oblige you. But a man's got to get his rest sometime.

Sarah Belding:
Oblige me?

The Stranger:
But I tell you what, if you'd come back in about half hour, I'll see what I can do, all right?

Sarah Belding:
They say the dead don't rest without a marker of some kind.

Mordecai:
You know, I never did know your name.

The Stranger:
Yes, you do.

Mordacai:
What did you say your name was again?

The Stranger:
I didn't.

Mordecai:
No. I guess you didn't at that, did you?

Mayor Jason Hobart:
I don't know if we shouldn't mark the grave somehow, Dan?

Sheriff Dan Shaw:
I don't see any need. It ain't likely anybody is gonna cry over them anyhow.

Sheriff Dan Shaw:
Well, I been needin' to talk with you; now's as good a time as any.

The Stranger:
What about?

Sheriff Dan Shaw:
Billy Borders.

The Stranger:
Don't know the man.

Sheriff Dan Shaw:
Well, you missed your chance; you killed him yesterday.

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timc.87186
Hello , later in the movie there is a quote something the drifter says… “bad thing about a man dieing , he gives up all he ever has and..??? Anyone? Thanks!
LikeReply2 years ago