Clint Eastwood has starred in so many iconic Westerns that it’s hard to keep track of them all. He’s perhaps best known for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the third and final film in Sergio Leone’s legendary Dollars Trilogy, but he went on to star in plenty of other Westerns afterward, including The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, and Unforgiven, the latter of which earned Eastwood two Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture in 1993.
However, one of Eastwood’s highest-rated Westerns after the Dollars Trilogy is High Plains Drifter (1973). He not only starred in the film, but it also marked his first time directing a Western, and it’s widely regarded as one of his darkest and boldest films.
If you haven’t seen High Plains Drifter before, it follows a mysterious man known only as The Stranger (Clint Eastwood), who rides into the small mining town of Lago. The frightened residents hire him to protect them from three ruthless outlaws who have recently been released from prison and are threatening the town. However, as The Stranger prepares for their return, it quickly becomes clear that he has other reasons for being in Lago.
High Plains Drifter is easily one of the darkest and most shocking Westerns I’ve ever seen, and if you’re interested in watching it now, you can stream it entirely for free on this popular streaming service.
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High Plains Drifter is now available on YouTube
Stream this Eastwood classic for free
Like other free streaming services such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Tubi, YouTube also offers thousands of free movies you can watch on-demand through its official Movies and TV channel. Right now, one of the many films YouTube has available is High Plains Drifter.
So if you want to watch it for the first time or give it a long-overdue rewatch, now is the perfect time, since you can stream it easily for free on YouTube. The only caveat is that, since it’s on YouTube after all, you will have to sit through a few ads during it.
However, if you would rather have an ad-free experience, you could try out YouTube Premium. Or if you’d rather just own it digitally, you can buy it on Apple TV, Fandango, or Prime Video. For physical media collectors, it’s also available on 4K UHD from Amazon.
Quiz
Clint Eastwood westerns
Trivia challenge
From dusty saloons to showdowns at dawn — how well do you know the Man with
No Name?
CharactersDirectorsClassicsQuotesAwards
Which 1964 film marked Clint Eastwood’s breakthrough as the ‘Man with No Name’?
Correct! A Fistful of Dollars was Eastwood’s star-making turn in Sergio
Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. It was a loose remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and helped define the
spaghetti western genre for a generation.
Not quite. The answer is A Fistful of Dollars (1964), the film that
introduced Eastwood as the poncho-wearing, cigar-smoking stranger. It was the first entry in Sergio
Leone’s iconic Dollars Trilogy.
Which Italian director helmed the ‘Dollars Trilogy’ starring Clint Eastwood?
Correct! Sergio Leone directed all three films in the Dollars Trilogy.
His operatic visual style, close-up heavy cinematography, and partnership with composer Ennio Morricone
defined the spaghetti western genre.
Not quite. Sergio Leone was the mastermind behind the Dollars Trilogy.
His distinct filmmaking style, combined with Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable scores, made Eastwood an
international superstar.
What is the name of Clint Eastwood’s character in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
Correct! Eastwood’s character is nicknamed ‘Blondie’ by Tuco throughout
the film. While he is the archetypal ‘Man with No Name,’ Blondie is the closest thing he gets to an
actual name in the trilogy.
Not quite. Eastwood’s character is called ‘Blondie’ — a nickname given
to him by Eli Wallach’s Tuco. Each film in the trilogy gave the character a slightly different alias,
including Joe in A Fistful of Dollars and Manco in For a Few Dollars More.
In which Clint Eastwood western does the famous line ‘Go ahead, make my day’
originate?
Correct! ‘Go ahead, make my day’ was spoken in Sudden Impact (1983), the
fourth Dirty Harry film. While often associated with the western genre, it is technically a crime
thriller — though Dirty Harry himself is very much a cowboy archetype.
Not quite. The line ‘Go ahead, make my day’ comes from Sudden Impact
(1983), the fourth installment in the Dirty Harry series. It became one of the most quoted movie lines
in history and was even referenced by President Ronald Reagan.
Which Clint Eastwood-directed western won the Academy Award for Best Picture in
1993?
Correct! Unforgiven swept the 1993 Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best
Director, Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), and Best Film Editing. It is widely regarded as one of
the greatest westerns ever made.
Not quite. Unforgiven (1992) took home four Academy Awards including
Best Picture and Best Director. Eastwood dedicated the film to Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, two
directors who greatly influenced his career.
In The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), what event drives Wales to become an outlaw?
Correct! Wales’s wife and son are murdered by a Union militia group
called Redlegs, setting him on a path of revenge and survival. The film is notable for its themes of
found family and redemption amid the chaos of the post-Civil War era.
Not quite. Josey Wales is driven to outlawry after Union militia known
as Redlegs kill his family during the Civil War. The film explores his journey from grief-stricken
avenger to reluctant protector of a makeshift frontier family.
Who composed the iconic musical score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
Correct! Ennio Morricone composed the legendary score, including the
instantly recognisable main theme with its whistling, electric guitar, and choral chants. Morricone and
Leone collaborated on all three Dollars films, creating one of cinema’s greatest composer-director
partnerships.
Not quite. The score was composed by Ennio Morricone, the Italian
maestro whose work on the Dollars Trilogy is among the most celebrated in film history. His main theme
for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly remains one of the most recognisable pieces of music ever recorded.
In Pale Rider (1985), what is the mysterious title character known as?
Correct! Eastwood’s enigmatic character is referred to as the Preacher
throughout the film. Many viewers and critics interpret him as a supernatural or even ghostly figure,
drawing comparisons to the pale rider of the biblical Book of Revelation.
Not quite. Eastwood’s character in Pale Rider is called the Preacher.
The film is rich with religious symbolism and many fans believe the character is actually a ghost or
avenging angel, making it one of Eastwood’s most mysterious western roles.
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What else can you stream for free right now?
More Westerns and spooky movies to stream this Halloween
Beyond High Plains Drifter, there are plenty of movies you can stream for free right now.
If you want to experience the Wild West, plenty of iconic Westerns are available to stream for free right now, including Once Upon a Time in the West on Tubi, 3:10 to Yuma on Plex, No Country for Old Men on Pluto TV, and Unforgiven on YouTube.
Of course, it’s Halloween this weekend, so if you’re in the mood for horror films, tons are free to stream right now, including Friday the 13th, Resident Evil (2002), Sleepaway Camp, Paranormal Activity, and Scary Movie, all on Pluto TV.
