Pale Rider (1985) review

Henchmen for gold-mining bigwig Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) keep terrorizing small-time prospectors like Hull (Michael Moriarty), his girlfriend Sarah (Carrie Snodgress) and Sarah's only daughter Megan (Sydney Penny), so Megan sends out a prayer to the Heavens begging for "a miracle," and in trots the Preacher (Eastwood) on horseback, prepared to defend them (and sportin' some nasty bullet holes in his body).  Having played in Westerns a good portion of his career, one might think Clint would be aware of the history of the genre so as to avoid overtly "copying" them, except this is an uninspired rehash of not just his own back catalog (including High Plains Drifter and The Beguiled) but also other well-known movies (High Noon, Shane, etc.), and he could play the "mysterious stranger" role in his sleep.  It's worth noting that the scenery - it was filmed in Idaho's Sawtooth National Recreation Area - is exceptionally beautiful ... and that seven years later, he would create what I personally consider one of the greatest American films ever made.