Clint Eastwood has always been on-point with his direction and performances, so, while I say that Pale Rider (1985) wasn’t as engaging as The Outlaw Josey Wales, it is not to say that either are lacking, because they’re not. I’m not a fan of the genre and the movie itself wasn’t as engaging as the other two recent first-time 4K UHD releases (The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976); Dirty Harry (1971)) from Warner Brothers.  Screenwriters Michael Butler (The Gauntlet) and Dennis Shryack (Turner & Hooch) craft a story, similar to some other Eastwood stories, about a man trying to do the right thing in a grey area of sorts. While not entirely original, it doesn’t lack intrigue and, with Eastwood behind the camera and in front of it, there is a lot to engage with on a contextual level.

Pale Rider, at its core, is about a small California mining town where a few independent miners have tried to lay claim to some promising mines. However, an in almost all westerns I’ve seen, there is a wagon of corruption, this time focusing on the local banksman and the marshal who is the hired gunman. The banker wants to take the land and the prospective mines, but the people refuse to lay down and let him get his way. This is where Preacher (Clint Eastwood) comes in. His origins are unknown, but he is seemingly known as he has a mythos surrounding him. While wanting to protect the land and its people, he gets increasingly close to one collective consisting of Hull (Micheal Moriarty), who lives with Sarah (Carrie Snodgress) and her daughter Megan (Sydney Penny), and tries to convince them to fight for what is theirs. Of course, they’re hesitant, but eventually agree and violence is afoot.

The three movies in this collection (Pale Rider; Dirty Harry; The Outlaw Josey Wales) are all being released for the first time in 4K UHD, each directed by Eastwood with cinematography done by Bruce Surtees. Pale Rider marks their final collaboration together. While the film is absolutely astoundingly beautiful, and the transfer is subsequently gorgeous and well taken care of, there is something different about this transfer compared to the other two. The truly dark scenes and hard blacks in the film are riddled with excess grain and spottiness, looking rougher and more beaten around an otherwise polished transfer. Juxtaposing those “faults” and moments, though, is everything else in the film. The rest of the movie is vibrant, clear, and beautiful. The third act with the snowfall should be hung in the Louvre as it’s simply a magnificent site to behold. This pops so much and isn’t suffocated by HDR or cleansing in any shape; this is a freshly changed bulb in a pristine 35 mm/70 mm print that has been absolutely cared for. One could literally weep at how beautiful those snowy scenes are presented. So, with the overly whelming positive outweighing the nitpicky negative, Pale Rider is far from pale visually, but in terms of plot, excitement, and overall transfer (there still is a little negativity compared to Dirty Harry and Outlaw Josey Wales, which are quintessentially perfect transfers), this is the weaker of the three, but if the other two were perfect tens, then this is a nine and a half.

With the special features, we have two brand new and similar in length to the other releases feature focusing on Eastwood’s relationship with Surtees, specifically in relation to Pale Rider, and a short, slightly fluffy feature on Sydney Penny’s (The Thorn Birds) experience on making Pale Rider. While both features are wonderful additions, again, we’re left with only two new special features and three legacy features. The new features may be the strongest amongst the others, but, regardless, Pale Rider is still a pretty solid Eastwood movie, even for a non-genre fan. The transfer, minus some nitpicky issues, is spectacular. So if you’re getting all three releases immediately, this is a no-brainer, but if you’re being selective, Pale Rider can be the one to unfortunately wait on.

Pale Rider Special Features:

• *NEW* The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set
• *NEW* Painting the Preacher: The Cinematography of Pale Rider
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns
• Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story
• The Eastwood Factor

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital April 29^th, 2025.

For more information, head to the official Warner Bros. Pictures Pale Rider webpage.

Categories: Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Shryack, Doug McGrath, drama, home release, home video, John Russell, Malpaso Productions, Michael Butler, Michael Moriarty, Pale Rider, remaster, Richard Dysart, Richard Kiel, Sydney Penny, Warner Bros. Pictures, western