High Plains Drifter

A mysterious, unnamed stranger rides out of the desert into the isolated mining town of Lago in the American Old West. He jerks upon hearing the sound of a horse whip from a passing buckboard. While sitting for a shave in a barber’s chair, three gunmen hired to protect the town taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. When the attractive, blonde townswoman Callie Travers flirtatiously insults him, he rapes her in the livery stable. That night, in his hotel room, the Stranger dreams of Jim Duncan, a U.S. Marshal, being whipped to death by outlaws Stacey Bridges and brothers Dan and Cole Carlin, as Lago's citizens watch in silence. The next day, Callie, evidently upset by the rape, shoots at the Stranger while he is bathing. Though the shots appear accurate, the Stranger emerges uninjured. Lago's town council, needing to replace the three gunmen, offer the Stranger anything he wants to protect the town from Bridges and the Carlins, who will soon be released from prison. It is gradually revealed that the townspeople hired the outlaws to murder Duncan when he discovered that the local gold mine was illegally dug on government-owned land and would have to be closed, destroying the town's livelihood. The townspeople then conspired to frame the outlaws for stealing gold as a means to avoid paying them, and they have vowed revenge. The Stranger accepts the job and takes full advantage of the deal: he appoints a downtrodden dwarf named Mordecai as both sheriff and mayor, provides a Native American and his children with blankets and candy when the shopkeeper refuses to serve them, gets a new saddle and boots, and forces the saloon to serve everyone free drinks. He later orders the hotel owners, Lewis and Sarah Belding, and all the other guests to vacate the premises, leaving himself as its sole occupant. Callie and several men, including Morgan Allen, decide to kill the Stranger. After having sex with him in his room, Callie slips out as three men enter. As they unknowingly beat a dummy in the bed, the Stranger tosses a stick of dynamite into the room, destroying most of the hotel, killing two men. He then shoots two of his attackers dead outside, as Morgan flees, wounded. The Stranger drags Sarah, kicking and screaming, into her bedroom (the only room in the hotel not damaged) where the two have sex after he taunts her by saying he is too tired to assault her. The next morning, Sarah tells the Stranger that Duncan cannot rest in peace because the town buried him in an unmarked grave. The Stranger assembles a group of citizens to defend the town and has them practice shooting, but soon realizes that none has the necessary skills. To keep the townspeople busy, he orders every building in town painted blood red. He then rides out of town without explanation, following the wounded Morgan. Before he leaves, he paints over the town sign with a single word: "Hell". The Stranger finds Bridges and the Carlins, who have just finished off Morgan, and harasses them with dynamite and rifle fire, leading the outlaws to believe the townspeople are responsible. Returning to Lago, the Stranger inspects the preparations—the entire town painted red, armed men on rooftops, picnic tables laden with food and drink, and a big "Welcome Home Boys" banner—then he silently departs again. The outlaws arrive and easily overcome the poor resistance of the townspeople; the defenders are all killed, while the survivors are rounded up in the saloon. The Stranger lures one of the Carlin brothers outside and whips him to death, then kills the remaining outlaws one by one. Belding, aiming a shotgun at the Stranger's back, is shot dead by Mordecai. The next morning, the Stranger rides past Mordecai in the cemetery. Mordecai says: "You know, I never did know your name." The Stranger replies: "Yes, you do." As the Stranger rides off into the desert, a perplexed Mordecai stands beside the wooden tombstone he had just finished carving: "Marshal Jim Duncan, Rest in Peace."

Plot from High Plains DrifterCC BY-SA 4.0