Clint Eastwood’s sophomore directorial outing, High Plains Drifter, marks the 50th anniversary since its theatrical release in 1973. The official anniversary, to my knowledge is on April 6. But because of Pesach, I’m running my review today.
If you go by what Clint Eastwood has said over the years, the film is an allegory for a town killing their sheriff. What happens here is that justice comes calling in the form of vengeance.
Right off the bat, Eastwood’s Stranger kills the very three people hired to protect the town. The idea that Eastwood’s Stranger is really Marshal Jim Duncan is hinted in the Stranger’s dream about Duncan’s death.
There are some not so pleasant aspects of the film. Callie Travers (Mariana Hill) flirts with The Stranger but he ends up raping her after she insults him. Later on in the film, The Stranger drags Sarah Belding (Verna Bloom) into her bedroom and have sex.
As the late 60s gave way to the 1970s, the output of violence in movies started to increase. A lot of this is because of the Production Code transitioning into what we now know as the Motion Picture Association.
In transitioning to the ratings system, it allowed films to be anywhere from tame to violent. There’s no shortage of violence here but it’s definitely not pretty to watch, not with rape or sexual assault taking place. It’s definitely more violent than a John Wayne Western.