Wick's Review

Summary - Great 4.0

Gary Cooper walking alone down a dusty Western street to confront a gang of killers is as iconic as Hollywood gets, making High Noon an archetype even more than a legend. That’s quite a weight.

Fortunately the movie itself is engaging, suspenseful and tight. A mere 85 minutes, it runs in near realtime, from the mid-morning moment when news arrives that a stone-cold killer will be on the noon train through to the inevitable gunfight.

Gary Cooper and a virginal Grace Kelly charm as newlyweds ready to start a fresh life, making the deadly battle’s stakes personal for the audience.

While the well-known story of a brave man abandoned by cowards plays out in suspenseful, surprising cadences, High Noon disappoints a bit because its celebrated allegory of political persecution is tortured at best. Also the final shootout doesn’t stand up to legend.

However, we’re talking High Noon here, a groundbreaking and accomplished film, iconic cultural symbol and a damn good movie to boot. That’s more than enough for greatness. More than enough.

Acting - Great 4.0

Gary Cooper seems real, not Hollywood, in his portrayal of stalwart Marshall Will Kane. No longer a young man, his sweat and regret are visible.

Grace Kelly matches up well to him in her first starring role. Nearly 30 years his junior, they nonetheless make a believable newlywed couple deeply troubled by his lingering job responsibilities.

Apparently they had an affair for the duration of the month-long filming. Fiftysomething Gary Cooper fooling around with twentysomething Grace Kelly, now there’s an image for the ages!

Notable supporting actors:

• Lloyd Bridges effectively plays Cooper’s feckless deputy.
• Katy Jurado is quite affecting as a Mexican-American who is both a successful businesswoman and a onetime lover to the past and future marshals.
• Lon Chaney Jr., more famous as The Wolf Man, has a brief scene as a broken-down lawman.
• Harry Morgan was in lots of Westerns (and in the TV M*A*S*H) and is always a welcome sight.

Film - Really Great 4.5

Shot in stark black & white, running roughly in real-time, and incorporating a great theme song in its instrumental score, this is a terrifically accomplished film.

Edge - Tame 1.4

Reality - Glib 1.4

Part of High Noon’s legend is that Gary Cooper’s lone Marshall supposedly represents blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters. Really? How does an officer of the law resolutely doing his duty serve as an allegory for citizens called on the carpet for involvement with the Communist Party? There is the theme of injustice, but it’s a tortured stretch to suggest that the injustice born by a sworn protector of the peace has direct parallels to civilian political persecution.

Just the opposite. Seen with fresh eyes, High Noon seems more Right Wing allegory than Left.

• Feed
• Movies
• ViewLists
• NewOnDemand