It's evident in this film anyway. He has the Leone close-ups, the long silences, the dark, brutal stories, the nameless stranger. The only difference between them is Clint doesn't take as long to say what he wants to say.
Clint reprises his man with no name roll in this his first western film as a director. WARNING! MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD. He is not a ghost. The marshal who was whipped to death doesn't even look like him. In fact, he's played by long time Clint Eastwood associate Buddy van Horn, who directed DEAD POOL and worked with Eastwood in a number of other movies, namely the EVERY WHICH WAY...ANY WHICH WAY movies. My beef about this movie is that if they wanted to give the audience the impression that Clint Eastwood was the ghost of this dead sheriff, they shouldn't have gotten such clear shots of his (Van Horn's) face. His face should have been hidden in shadow, by the gathering crowd, or maybe the camera should have shot him from a distance. But this is a good, intriguing story, and you still wonder just who this stranger is. An avenging angel possibly? Who knows? He sure knew how to mete out perfect justice, not only to the gunmen who whipped the marshal to death, but also to the town itself for showing such despicable cowardice. Leone's influence is obvious in this movie, and he taught Clint very well. 8 out of 10.
Clint reprises his man with no name roll in this his first western film as a director. WARNING! MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD. He is not a ghost. The marshal who was whipped to death doesn't even look like him. In fact, he's played by long time Clint Eastwood associate Buddy van Horn, who directed DEAD POOL and worked with Eastwood in a number of other movies, namely the EVERY WHICH WAY...ANY WHICH WAY movies. My beef about this movie is that if they wanted to give the audience the impression that Clint Eastwood was the ghost of this dead sheriff, they shouldn't have gotten such clear shots of his (Van Horn's) face. His face should have been hidden in shadow, by the gathering crowd, or maybe the camera should have shot him from a distance. But this is a good, intriguing story, and you still wonder just who this stranger is. An avenging angel possibly? Who knows? He sure knew how to mete out perfect justice, not only to the gunmen who whipped the marshal to death, but also to the town itself for showing such despicable cowardice. Leone's influence is obvious in this movie, and he taught Clint very well. 8 out of 10.