Pale Rider

...and hell followed with him. Who but Clint Eastwood could play the angel of death? Or maybe he's not; maybe he's just a mortal man. This ranks alongside, his later Unforgiven as the only good Western of the last 25 years. The story borrows heavily from the superior Shane, but it's clear that Eastwood is one of the few living filmmakers that understands the Western and how to utilize landscape. It's also clear that Eastwood the director understands himself as an actor and uses it wonderfully. The photography by Bruce Surtees is also worth mentioning.