High Noon

Trailer—High Noon

One of the first movies to use the "real time" gimmick, this western works really great. Of course back when it came out, this movie got into a lot of trouble. The movie was brand-marked as anti-American and was blacklisted. It even got disliked by John Wayne and Howard Hawks (who btw. apparently made Rio Bravo as an response to this very movie) very publicly! Of course the movie is not a blueprint of how Westerns worked back then and does have some social criticism. But it's also something that makes it almost timeless. Because what it does point out (put yourself into the main characters shoes), is relevant today and I'm sure will be relevant in a couple of years too. It's about human nature and about society. One of the best movies made in that sense (in my eyes). Of course I can understand that some people do not like this at all (the lack of "action", the lead actors behavior etc.), but you have to figure that out for yourself

This is the definitive Western. There are other excellent Westerns of course ("The Unforgiven," "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "The Searchers," "My Darling Clementine," and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" come immediately to mind), but none tops this one. Even though the difference in age between Gary Cooper and Grace Kelley makes the thought of their marriage seem a little kinky, it's easy to buy into the story. Katy Jurado is sexy, Lloyd Bridges is callow, and the townspeople mean well, but when push comes to shove, they reveal their cowardice. (If you remember the scene in "Blazing Saddles" in which Van Johnson says, "Howard Johnson is right," you'll almost certainly laugh at an inappropriate moment in "High Noon." ) "High Noon" is a textbook example of the storyteller's art. The drama begins with the opening credits and doesn't let up until everyone's true character has been laid bare. This one is suspenseful and thrilling, and I find more to admire with every viewing.

The summer temperature soars, as does the tension during the hour before the arrival of the midday locomotive that will bring with it a vengeful gunslinger to settle an old score with the Marshal: who will soon discover who his friends are. Vengeance, treachery, ignorance, justice and survival - concentrated around the barrel of a gun.

Gary Cooper's greatest role, at 50, as the newly-married sheriff, Will Kane, left to fend for himself against his returning enemies, abandoned by the town he remains loyal to, and played out in real time through its 90 minute running time. Ably supported by Grace Kelly as his pacifist Quaker wife, who discovers love and right triumphs over long-held preconceptions; Katy Jurado as Kane's former mistress, a fiery Latino type; and Lloyd Bridges as the feisty deputy; Cooper runs away with the acting honours. The theme tune by Tex Ritter is also worthy of note. ‘High Noon' works because of its tightly written script, its cracking pace and crackling tension. I've seen the film many times and always see something different to notice and admire; still, I'd love to see it again for the first time and not know the twists and turns, not know how it ends. A fabulous film – one of the best.