The Man Called Noon

source: The Man Called Noon

"The Man Called Noon" (1973) is a Spanish/Italian/English Western starring Richard Crenna as the eponymous character and Stephen Boyd as his pardner. After Noon suffers amnesia from being winged in the head and falling, he teams-up with Rimes (Boyd) and meets a woman named Fan (Rosanna Schiaffino), who takes a liking to him. Farley Granger and Patty Shepard are other characters in the story, which features a hidden cave and fortune. Shot in Spain, the film has the cool style and music of Spaghetti Westerns of the time, but with an arguably better story and characters, likely because the script's based on a Louis L'Armour novel. Unfortunately, as the movie progresses its flaws surface, like an obvious smudge on the lens of one of the cameras, the inexplicable lights in the "bat cave" and an increasingly unbelievable vibe. Despite this, Crenna and Boyd are effective Western protagonists and Rosanna & Patty are agreeable female eye candy. Although mediocre overall, it's worth checking out if you like Westerns from the 60s/70s. The film runs 98 minutes. GRADE: C+

I just discovered this Western and really liked it. The plot is very "Bourne," and I wonder if Ludlum got some ideas from it. There are some excellent and interesting camera shots. Stephen Boyd, who is quoted as saying "I like to look at people and see them smile - when the face smiles the soul comes through," did indeed make me smile. I loved his accent. Richard Crenna pulled off the role nicely, though I don't think of him in the Western genre. I'm a fan of Louis L'Amour but don't think I read this book - will have to now! Sure, it's a bit slow in places and even loses some continuity, but if you like old Westerns, and the relationship of man and horse, plots about amnesia and integrity, then you'll like this.

There's a thin line between good style and bad style, and this film lands squarely on the wrong side of that line. The director knows a few camera tricks, such as filming scenes from severely low angles with a cowboy boot or wagon wheel dominating the frame (copied from countless other spaghetti westerns) but he has no feel or flow. Oddball cast. Richard Crenna, not exactly the most physical of actors, is hilariously unbelievable as a tough man of action. Your guess is as good as mine as to how he wins all those fist fights. And he's either bionic or a cousin of Bruce Willis' character in "Unbreakable", because he survives a couple nasty falls and countless flurries of gunfire with nary a scratch. In fact, the villains in this movie have to be the worst shots in the history of film. The more I think about it, I'm not sure who or what they were aiming at but it couldn't have been Crenna. There's Stephen Boyd, about a decade past his prime, drawling and mumbling his way through a turn as some sort of a slippery opportunist, the Han Solo role. Actually not a bad performance. And also Farley Granger, 20 years or so removed from his fling with matinee idol stardom. He's a more interesting looking actor at this point with graying hair and richer voice, but he comes off as all kinds of ridiculous in the big dumb, senseless finale. Hard to tell if his acting is much improved with such a poor script. It's also got an inappropriately exuberant music score, bad stunt doubling, a confusing plot with too many names you never can attach to faces, and some gratuitous violence that might have been offensive if it hadn't been so nonsensical. Despite all that, at least it DOES make an attempt to stylize the material and give it a little pizazz. That's more than some films do.

The Man Called Noon is a good Western. What really makes the movie is Stephen Boyd as Rimes. A very dangerous outlaw who becomes a friend to Noon ( Richard Crenna). Boyd steals every scene he is in. Another standout is Patty Shepard as Peg Cullane. You rarely find women as evil as she is in a Western ( Barbara Stanwyck in The Violent Men comes to mind). There is also a scene towards the end with her dressed all in black on a horse, that reminded me of Stanwyck at the beginning of The Furies. Spoilers Ahead: The other scene of hers that was something was when she said to Stephen Boyd and Richard Crenna who was further away: "Doesn't anyone have the guts to shoot a woman?" Good girl Fan Davidge ( Rosanna Schiaffino), takes her up on the challenge and wins. What was interesting was a gun fight between two women in a Western. I cannot think of another Western where you see that. The biggest weakness was Crenna as Jonas Mandarin/ Noon. He simply did not work as the lead who lost his memory ( he eventually regained it ( remembering his murdered wife and child as well as a fortune in gold he hid away)). As you can probably figure out, in the end Boyd gets some of the gold, Crenna keeps the rest, has the Noon persona buried and becomes Mandarin again and ends up Rosanna Schiaffino ( lucky guy, going away in a carriage with her). 7/10 stars. Mostly for Boyd and Shepard.

This film begins with a man being shot at and then falling out of a two-story building onto the street below. He is subsequently chased by several armed cowboys but manages to catch a passing train and escape into one of the box cars. As luck would have it, there happens to be another man by the name of "J. P. Rimes" (Stephen Boyd) also in the box car who quickly realizes that the wounded man has developed a case of amnesia and because of that Rimes essentially takes him under his wing for the time being. To that effect, even though he has assumed a certain name during this particular time, Rimes begins to suspect that this person is none other than an extremely notorious gunman by the name of "Ruble Noon" (Richard Crenna) and if that's the case then a lot of people are going to die before he is finished with whatever job he was hired to perform. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather odd Western which tries to combine both mystery and action together-with only a certain amount of success as the plot seemed a bit convoluted at times. Not only that, but the acting on the part of Stephen Boyd was exactly that convincing either. Be that as it may, while this wasn't a great film by any means, I suppose it managed to pass the time fairly well and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I would never put paella westerns and Louis L'amour in the same sentence, let alone in a film, as L'amour books are traditional as it gets, but it works here. From the tense intro till the end, the film lives up to the excellence of the book, capturing the mystery, the characters quite well. The landscape lends itself to the suspense - and the action is gritty and exciting, especially at the end ( the ranch in the cave is well-imagined.) Though there's action, it never overrides the narrative, and the focus is on Richard Crenna, looking cool, all dressed in black looking like Johnny Cash, who has lost his memory after an attempt on his life. From there, with the help of the underrated Stephen Boyd, he tries to learn who he is, and for his efforts he gets a passel load of bullets heading his way. Great cast - Farley Granger, Rosanna Schiaffino and the hottie villainess Patty Shepherd. - great action. A bit confusing at times, but amnesiac films - like Bourne identity - tend to have this streak, and you have to sit it out and be patient and you'll soon get the answers. Maybe the dialogue could've been sharper, more clearer, however, it is a solid western that should get more attention.

It is a good movie overall, with some action and thrilling scenes. However, there is quite a lot of differences with the Louis L'amour book on which it is based. Would've been nicer if they could've stayed closer to the original storyline. But all in all, it was a good movie especially if you haven't read the book.

Richard Crenna starts off as an amnesiac, and the film actually plays with our heads as we watch it. Everyone knows who he is, but he doesn't! So, we see things from his disjointed perspective. He seems to be this "Holy Avenger" type "Dark Knight" like a western Batman or something! the local train line stops at his PERSONAL train stop! he has a ranch house with a HUGE cave just through a fireplace secret door! He has unbelievably powerful--maybe even War Horses breeds--horses He was hired to wipe out the wretched, scum evil dudes and save the sweet but fire tempered girl, BUT he doesn't know it! Stephen Boyd is so cool in this flick, he's like "Richard Boone Lite"--he is funny, mysterious, slippery, and becomes Crenna's character's best friend/almost sibling. He exudes a sort of "yeah, I'm the sidekick, but I shoot almost as good as him, and I'm just a little less honorable" attitude here. All in all, this movie is SO cool! BTW, I'm 43, and have seen ALL the sixties and seventies spaghetti westerns, and only this one(of the non-Eastwood) is a treasured, and cherished, favorite! And, I got it at Wal Mart for a single dollar!

Gunfighter Ruble Noon (a fine and credible performance by Richard Crenna) gets amnesia. Crafty outlaw Rimes (smoothly played by Stephen Boyd) helps Noon figure out his identity. After it's discovered that Noon knows about a hidden fortune in gold, slippery judge Niland (a pleasingly slimy turn by Farley Granger) and the ruthless Peg Cullane (a deliciously wicked portrayal by Patty Shepard) conspire together to get their hands on said gold. Director Peter Collinson relates the engrossing and intricate story at a steady pace, maintains a fairly tough and gritty tone throughout, makes nice use of the dusty'n'desolate desert locations, and stages the exciting shoot outs and rough'n'ready fisticuffs with skill and flair. The compelling script by Scot Finch and Antonio Recoder offers a few nifty twists. The sound acting by the bang-up cast rates as another major asset: Rosanna Schioffino as the sweet Fan Davidge, Aldo Sambrell as the cowardly Kissling, and Jose Jaspe as loyal ranch hand Henneker. Luis Bacalov's robust harmonic score hits the rousing spot. John Cabrera's polished cinematography provides lots of striking shots of the beautiful scenery. A worthwhile film.