Similarities between Pale Rider (1985) and Shane (1953). I guess it was a remake/homage/tribute to Shane, so they should be forgiven, but there are tons of similar details. In both movies:

1. Rich dudes harass poor people to scare them off valuable land.

2. In Pale Rider, the helpful gunslinger befriends a miner named Barret. In Shane, the helpful gunslinger befriends a farmer named Starrett.

3. One of the poor folks rides into town knowing that he'll provoke more harassment from the bad guys.

4. A child starts to idolize/have a crush on the gunslinger. (A young boy in Shane, a teenage girl in Pale Rider.)

5. Shane and the Preacher both ride pale tan horses.

6. You can tell the intimidation is working on some people, because at least one miner and one farmer pulls up stakes and moves on.

7. One of the friendly poor folks is called “Swede.”

8. In Shane, the gunslinger and his new friend engage in male bonding as they struggle to remove a stubborn tree stump. In Pale Rider, the gunslinger and his new friend engage in male bonding as they struggle to remove a boulder from the middle of a stream. Both movies show the pairs of men overcoming an obstacle that had been insurmountable to the weak farmer/miner.

9. The wife/girlfriend of the farmer/miner objects to the violence brought into her community by the gunslinger.

10. The wife/girlfriend grows indiscretely fond of the gunslinger. (Major deviation: in Pale Rider, the girlfriend enters his room, talks a while, then she closes the door and turns to him as the scene fades out. The only way they could have indicated more clearly that these two characters had sex is if the camera had panned over to a roaring fireplace before making transition to the next scene.)

11. Eventually the child who idolized/had a crush on the gunslinger finds a reason to be mad at him.

12. In both movies, the robber baron claims he deserves what the squatters have because he was one of the first pioneers in the area.

13. The bad guy hires a skilled shooter who is known to the good gunslinger.

14. When a bragadocious farmer/miner comes to town, he gets gunned down by the hired killer. In both movies, the hired killers stand on a tall porch, killing the farmer/miner in the muddy street.

15. As the final showdown becomes imminent, the gunslinger prevents weak father figure from taking part in the final showdown.

16. The gunslingers are both caught off guard by hiding enemies. Shane kills most of the bad guys, except for one up a stairway who little Joey has to warn him about. In Pale Rider, the Preacher wipes out all the hired guns and would have been killed by the main robber baron if not for Barret saving him.

17. The child asks mother if she loves the gunslinger. At some point, the child says s/he loves the gunslinger.

18. Gunslinger rides off at the end.

19. Little Joey calls after his departing hero, “Pa's got things for you to do! And Mother wants you!” Megan Wheeler in Pale Rider calls after her departing hero, “We all love you. I love you.”