"The Lord certainly does work in mysterious ways."
Pale Rider (1985)
Now streaming on Tubi TV.
A couple of months ago, I very much enjoyed reading our own Rob Hunter's home video roundup, covering the recent arrival of three Clint Eastwood films on 4K UHD. I promptly added all three to my shopping list.
Earlier this month, I started reading Shawn Levy's excellent biography, Clint: The Man and the Movies, which moved me to start watching or rewatching Clint Eastwood's films -- at least the relatively few that are available on streaming services, which led me to Tubi TV.
As it happens, I just finished Chapter 19 in Shawn Levy's book, which covers the release of Pale Rider in 1985. Then I turned on Tubi TV, looking for something to write about. Lo and behold, Pale Rider appears in the featured row on the front page of the app!
But it's only available for another two days (until July 31). Obviously, it would be better to watch Pale Rider on 4K UHD; however, my last (and only) viewing of the film was on broadcast television, in the wrong aspect ratio, so I thought I'd watch just the opening sequence ...
... which is fantastic!
I'd completely forgotten that the opening sequence begins with a group of mean-looking horsemen riding hard across the landscape, furiously intercut with a peaceful, harmless collection of villagers, mining for gold and minding their own business.
Yes, it's set in the Old West in the U.S., and I understand that that particular historical setting may inherently repel some viewers. Yet that opening is so furiously exciting that I encourage anyone who may be in doubt to give it a watch in the next day or two.
Rob Hunter's article goes into a little more detail about what happens in the film. All I can say on that score is that it's even better than I remember. I will be saving my pennies for the 4K UHD edition.
On Tubi TV, Pale Rider plays after two ads, then gallops through the opening sequence and a few minutes more before its next ad break. Most of the ad breaks consisted of only two ads, which has not been my experience with the Roku Channel and Pluto TV.
Unlike the Roku Channel and Pluto TV, however, hitting the pause button while a Tubi TV program plays does not reveal when the ad breaks will appear, which is a bummer. The good news is that Pale Rider plays in the correct aspect ratio, which makes it easier to enjoy the gorgeous, wintry landscapes.
Now FASTing celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) services.