For context, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was from 1966.

Pale Rider on the surface is pretty similar to High Plains Drifter. Both are Westerns that involve a stranger played by Eastwood who turns out to be a ghost riding into a town and ultimately securing revenge against the one who had harmed him. This particular theme worked better in High Plains Drifter than in Pale Rider, which feels tacked on in this film as it’s primary theme lies elsewhere.

Pale Rider is a better film because the main theme resonate more (it is also visually more beautiful). Pale Rider deals primarily with the nature of free will and choice, which are more dissident themes than revenge; the key scene involves a group of gold miners who have to decide whether to take a fair price for buyout from the powerful business interest in town or decline the buyout and face severe consequences. They decide to stick together and decline the buyout, refusing to put a price on their dignity by giving in to fear, terror and bullying, even though the Eastwood character presented both options to them and let them decide for themselves. Then the Eastwood character disappears for a bit and the group second guesses themselves but stand resolutely with their decision, at least for the moment. One man who leaves the group is killed as there is strength in sticking together and weakness apart. The group may have to leave with nothing instead of the buyout when events turn against them, but Eastwood reappears. Later on, one of the other leading characters uses his free will to go with Eastwood to confront the opposition.

I rated High Plains Drifter at a 6.0 or 6.5 / 10, and I would give Pale Rider a 7.5 or so. I like films that have a conundrum at the heart of it; here, do you take a fair deal under duress and pressure, or resist it to keep your integrity even though you might end up with nothing? The answer to this lies in the heart of the viewer…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Rider

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5625141&forum_id=2Reputation#48283903)