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High Noon 1952 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
NR, 85 min. (violence) |
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Starring: Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Grace Kelly, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney, Henry Morgan
Producer: Stanley Kramer
Screenplay: Carl Foreman
Cinematography: Floyd Crosby
Distributor: United Artists
Released: 7.24.52 |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
High Noon has been accused of being "the most boring Western of all time", while at the same time many
would say it is the best Western of all time. The real sense of desperation and tension that is generated
by this film is surprising giving its slow pace. But for those patient enough to see the movie through, there
is a rewarding conclusion, not just of the movie, but also for the statement that is made about loyalty and
conscience.
Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), the town marshal for many years, is retiring and getting married to
Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly) as the movie begins. It is ten o'clock in the morning, and at noon one of
Kane's enemies, Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), is arriving on the noon train and wants revenge for being
brought down by Kane. So Kane has roughly two hours to summon up some support to face Miller, but the
townspeople, including the mayor (Thomas Mitchell), encourage him to leave town immediately before he
arrives. Now suddenly the townspeople, who owe most of their prosperity to Kane, will not stand with
him as they fear for their own lives. The crucial point of the movie comes at a town meeting at a church,
where citizens voice their support or non-support for Kane. In the end they vote against Kane, who is
destined to face Miller and his gang alone.
Kane obviously feels betrayed by the townspeople, and even his new wife is begging him to leave town. But
Kane is stubborn, his conscience tells him he must protect these people one last time from henchmen such
as Miller, even though some of the townspeople will welcome him with open arms. He's invested too much
time into this town to just hand it over to criminals. The movie actually runs almost in real time until
the final confrontation between Kane and Miller, making the suspense build to a high level.
Both Cooper and Kelly give strong performances as Kane and Amy, as does the supporting cast, which includes
Lloyd Bridges as Kane's deputy. Kelly took home an Oscar for her performance, and many argue that this
was Cooper's finest performance on screen. This film takes you on a journey, seen through Kane's eyes,
that makes you feel like you are there with him, helplessly waiting for your end to come. That is rare
in filmmaking, and it is why High Noon will always be remembered as one of the best pictures of the last
century.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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