A film deserving of its classic status, for allowing a more realistic emotional texture to the western genre (Cooper is recognizably scared, leading up to the final confrontation) and for the novelty of telling the story in (almost) real time. It's often cited as an allegory about blacklisting in Hollywood during the McCarthy era, but it stands just as well as a broader commentary on the role of the state and the imperatives of good citizenship. Notice how the townfolk are happy to renounce the responsibilities of citizenship and participation when things really get ugly. In that way, the film is just as relevant today as it was sixty years ago.

Despite its mainstream notoriety as being the archetypal Western picture, "High Noon" is unlike any other film in that particular genre. While Wayne and Ford presented us with gun-slinging, action-packed spectacles, Fred Zinnemann's take is a short and suspenseful character study, who's strong commentary on McCarthyism resulted in John Wayne describing it as "the most un-American movie" he'd ever seen. By no means is it the best of its genre. There are several glaring distractions, including supporting characters that are less than enjoyable to watch and the blatantly obvious age difference between Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly (who are meant to portray newlyweds). But they hardly serve to detract from how powerful of a film it is.

Tense drama/western that is apparently also an allegory about the House of Un-American Activities, I can certainly see how it can be interpreted that way. There are many tense scenes, the church debate in particular stands out and Gary Cooper conveys the composed fear of Kane the marshal brilliantly. The suspense built up gradually over the 'real time', although I found the final shootout itself a bit of an anti-climax, certainly the final part of it. I also felt the music was a bit over the top at times, which ruined some of the tension and drama but it was certainly impressive and still holds up very well just over 60 years later.

A perfect western which despite its 'U' certificate is very dark as Gary Cooper plays the completely likable marshal betrayed by his town when he asks for their help in defending it from an old enemy. Cooper delivers such a real and gripping performance making him one of the genres finest heroes as, much like John McClane in Die Hard, he feels like a normal guy just trying to do good protecting his town and the woman he loves. Speaking of which, it is impossible for me to ever not like a film with Grace Kelly in, as I mentioned in my Rear Window review she is just a goddess. The music, editing and cinematography are all wonderful and almost make the town itself seem like a character. Overall, an excellent western with Gary Cooper giving us one of the most likable western heroes I have seen, the John McClane of the West.

Really cool (and since I'm 60 years behind the curve, probably classic) setup, but I can't help but feel it was somewhat lacking in execution. Was 85 minutes too little to tell the story right, or was I just looking for a different ending? I liked what I did see, but it just bothered me that all of these potentially deep characters and subplots kept popping up and being shoved aside. Simplicity is one thing but, whatever the popular opinion, I think this movie was slightly lacking in development.

While this may appear at first glance like a standard Western from the Classic Hollywood era, High Noon is at its core one of the darkest and most cynical takes on the genre from the era in which it was made. Gary Cooper won a well-deserved Oscar in his lead role as Will Kane, a distraught marshal who is forced to face an old foe alone as his entire town turns their back on him. Seeing Cooper's trademark stoicism slowly transform to desperation throughout the course of the movie makes this one of his best performances, and the non-idealized treatment of the genre paved the way for many darker Westerns to come, such as The Wild Bunch and High Plains Drifter. Highly recommended for all Western fans, but it's also a wonderful primer to those new to the genre.

Nereizi filmas laikā nejutos garlaikots, un tas jau ir rādītājs. Diezgan dinamisks, bet mierīgs vesterns, kurš pilnībā atšķirās no klasiskajiem Serdžio Leones gabaliem.

I think of myself as someone who doesn’t particularly like horror films or westerns. But this week has turned up a few from both genres that have pleasantly surprised me. High Noon has certainly done so. The acting isn’t always great, and the dialogue is corny at times. But the build-up and pacing make for great suspense. Counting down to high noon, watching the clock, everyone awaiting the arrival of the train that carries the fate of the entire town. Especially it’s marshall.

He has so much to prepare for in so little time. And at the hour, left standing utterly alone in the street, courageous but near defenseless, you feel for him in a huge way.

It’s a great western, and a great flicker. I liked it.