Summary
WhenClint Eastwooddirected Westerns, he challenged his audience to think deeper.
It’s hard to imagine the modern Western without this iconic film starring the Duke.
InHigh Plains Drifter, herenders this character as a ghostly and ominous figure.
Image by Zanda Rice
His presence creates an eerie cloud over this sun-baked mining town of Lago.
The only outlined character trait of the Stranger is his depravity.
Is Clint Eastwood’s Stranger Character in ‘High Plains Drifter’ a Ghost?
A gun-fighting 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.
Clint Eastwood toldJames LiptononInside the Actor’s Studiothat he was drawn to the allegorical nature ofHigh Plains Drifter.
“I made it very ambiguous, so the audience can draw their own conclusions.
Was this some sort of mythical deal?
Was this some sort of apparition?”
The townspeople, derelict in their duties, were oblivious to the Stranger’s savagery.
Ultimately, there is no clear-cut answer to whether the Stranger inHigh Plains Drifteris a form of supernatural retribution.
However, the mythical and hazy depiction of the Stranger heavily suggests he’s fantastical.
The Strangerembodies a burning desire for vengeance, which serves as the twisted cousin of Western justice.
High Plains Drifteris available to buy or rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO
