High Plains Drifter

Play trailer

High Plains Drifter

R

1973

1h 45m

Western

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In this Western, a drifter with no name (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are in high demand. When the drifter rides into Lago, he is met with incredulity and disapproval by the townspeople. But once he shows his skills with a pistol, the locals realize he may be able to help them fend off a band of criminals who have been terrorizing the town. He agrees to help the townspeople, but does so with his own secret agenda.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, and the result is one of his most memorable Westerns.

Read Critics Reviews

Perry Stewart

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

The difference between this and all those “Dollars” pictures is that Clint has gone and refined the art of steel-eyed enigma. Eastwood directed this one himself and, like his earlier Play Misty for Me, it shows he has some savvy behind the camera.

Jun 14, 2022

Full Review

Noel Murray

The Dissolve

Eastwood holds fast to the rebel spirit of the spaghetti Westerns and revisionist "New Hollywood" Westerns of the previous decade, but packages it in a film that's slicker and more mainstream-friendly.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 28, 2013

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

As a director, Eastwood is not as good as he seems to think he is. As an actor, he is probably better than he allows himself to be.

Oct 26, 2008

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

In High Plains Drifter, Clint Eastwood already shows off his promising talents as a filmmaker in only his second directing gig.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 5, 2023

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

A nasty, eerie Clint Eastwood Western...

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 11, 2023

Full Review

Robin Holabird

Robin Holabird

I admit Mono looks phenomenal in this memorable piece where Eastwood spins off his Spaghetti Western persona during a violent round of vengeance.

Aug 10, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Joe D

definitly a learning to walk production with no sense of what happens next. its all to simple minded to be believeable.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/26/25

Full Review

Farah R

As a fan of Westerns and of Clint Eastwood, I was doubly disappointed by how awful this movie was. The story was trite, the characters unlikable, and the ending predictable.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/25/25

Full Review

Michael R

A film that has largely the same quality as the "movie of the week" fare being cranked out by the television networks during this era. Supernatual elements aside it's just a weaksauce revenge tale in a western setting, something that had been done many times before even in the early 1970s. "Once Upon a Time in the West," anyone?

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/25

Full Review

Maksim S

High Plains Drifter is a dark, daring, and entirely memorable Western that rewards viewers willing to embrace its experimental edge. While its controversy at the time may have distracted some audiences, the film is best appreciated as a stylistic exploration of revenge, morality, and the supernatural, rather than a moral lesson. Clint Eastwood delivers a stoic, enigmatic performance as the Stranger, perfectly suited to the film’s bleak, dangerous world, where justice is ambiguous and violence is inevitable. With its haunting atmosphere, unsettling imagery, and morally complex narrative, High Plains Drifter stands as a masterful, almost allegorical Western — dark, suspenseful, and impossible to forget.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 1.75 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Audience Member

A cowboy comes from nowhere. And takes revenge of someone he definitely knew. Movie has some really funny scenes too. Amazing...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/03/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Clint Eastwood

Director

Clint Eastwood

The Stranger

Verna Bloom

Sarah Belding

Marianna Hill

Callie Travers

Mitch Ryan

Dave Drake

Jack Ging

Morgan Allen

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Whipped to Death

2:15

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Whipping the Outlaw

2:22

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Blowing Up The Hotel

1:45

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - The Sheriff and the Mayor

2:44

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Shave and a Shootout

2:52

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Shooting Up Hell

1:57

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Killing the Outlaws

3:05

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Target Practice

2:47

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - The Stranger Rides Away

2:30

High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - He Shot My Ear Off!

3:17

View more videos

Ulzana's Raid

90%

65%

Ulzana's Raid

Watchlist

The Hired Hand

81%

75%

The Hired Hand

Watchlist

Pale Rider

94%

83%

Pale Rider

Watchlist

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

97%

97%

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In this Western, a drifter with no name (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are in high demand. When the drifter rides into Lago, he is met with incredulity and disapproval by the townspeople. But once he shows his skills with a pistol, the locals realize he may be able to help them fend off a band of criminals who have been terrorizing the town. He agrees to help the townspeople, but does so with his own secret agenda.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Robert Daley
Screenwriter: Ernest Tidyman
Production Co: Universal Pictures, The Malpaso Company
Rating: R
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 19, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Runtime: 1h 45m

Most Popular at Home Now