High Plains Drifter

Welcome to Hell. Otherwise, known as the probably my favorite western of all time (not that I have seen all that many of them). Basically, this movie is about the lone spirit of a slain Federal Marshall whom no one would help while he was being bull whipped to death. So, he comes back to the town and drives people apart, and kills the men that killed him.

Within the first twenty minutes we see the stranger enter the town, murder three men in cold blood, and then rape some annoying bitch. So impressed were the people of the town that they hired him to help protect them from three evil gunslingers that were recently released from territorial prison. Reluctantly, he accepts as the sheriff and mayor promise him whatever he wants. He recklessly uses this power to drive apart the people of the town, and cause them some suffer. He does such things as tearing down a mans barn to make picnic tables, forcing everyone out of the hotel so he somewhere to stay, he makes the midget the mayor and sheriff of the town, oh, and he renames the town, Hell, and paints the entire thing red. Yup, good times.

If you have never seen a western before and you like shoes like 24, this might be the film to get you started in the genre. Granted, it is not your typical western as it has some super natural elements in it. Many of the same basic principles you will see in other westerns are present.

So far, I have seen Open Range, Unforgiven, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Missing, and a few other whose names allude me. Granted, all those other films are pretty damn good, the High Plains Drifter definitely has them beat.

If you can get a hold of this motion picture watch, learn it, love it, etc…

I’m glad to say that rating this film as “I loved it” in NetFlix has filled up my recommendations with a variety of other Westerns I am going to have to checkout.