X
- 1952
- PG
- United Artists
- 1 h 25 m
- 1952
- PG
- United Artists
- 1 h 25 m
Summary This classic 1952 Western stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score.
Directed By: Fred Zinnemann
Written By: Carl Foreman, John W. Cunningham
- 1952
- PG
- United Artists
- 1 h 25 m
- 1952
- PG
- United Artists
- 1 h 25 m
High Noon
89
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary This classic 1952 Western stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score.
Directed By: Fred Zinnemann
Written By: Carl Foreman, John W. Cunningham
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
89
100% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
89
100% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A terrific piece of filmmaking. It's taut, believable as it unspools. It's charismatic, with a slow buildup of tension in near-real time that finally explodes into a blast of violence.
Not a frame is wasted in this taut, superbly directed, masterfully acted film, the first so-called "adult Western." (Review of Original Release)
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 89 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
79 Ratings
79 Ratings
10% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 89 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
79 Ratings
79 Ratings
10% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
The quintessential classic western. Timeless, perfectly paced and with a cast and score to match.
Report
The Western may be one of the few truly American art forms, and High Noon shows exactly how much potential it can embrace.
Meaningful in its implications, as well as loaded with interest and suspense, High Noon is a western to challenge “Stagecoach” for the all-time championship. (Review of Original Release)
Cooper does an unusually able job of portraying the marshal. (Review of Original Release)
Possibly the most Rorschachian film of all time, a symbol-only text that effortlessly conforms to any political present, and finds a foothold in your social sphere whether you're a free radical or reactionary wing nut.
Some of the results ring false, but the memorable theme song and some equally memorable character acting (by Thomas Mitchell and Lon Chaney Jr. more than Lloyd Bridges and Katy Jurado) help things along.
Classical western movies like High Noon should be what western movies are right now. There's not that much western movies, but I usually want to enjoy every single bit of this movie again since I loved a single bit of it.
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Fun original song, simple concept but well characterized. Good shootout for 1952. Nothing really groundbreaking here.
Report
Classic oater, whose primary strength is character, not action. Gary Cooper's best performance as a man torn between duty and happiness, torn between doing what's right or taking the easy way out. Bonus fun : the tension mounts in real time
Report
D'habitude, les westerns de cette époque, on s'en approche avec précaution et on les regarde avec parcimonie : ils en effet tendance (à moins que ce ne soit un don, qui sait...) à vous assommer en moins d'un quart d'heure, voire beaucoup moins pour les pires. Puis, vous dormez du sommeil du juste comme une masse.
Mais John Wayne n'est pas là, ceci expliquant cela sans doute. C'est le gars Gary Cooper qui s'y colle. Ainsi qu'une blonde aux traits si délicats, au port altier et à la silhouette si gracieuse que je n'ai pas percuté tout de suite... oui, c'est Grace ! ("Graisse" en anglais mais ça ne lui va pas, je préfère Grâce).
Donc, voici que le machin en noir et blanc et en quatre tiers démarre quasiment sur les chapeaux de roue : un truand que notre Gary "marshal" a mis en taule, a été relâché et arrive par le train de midi pétante (SNCF, c'est possible...) attendu par trois de ses sbires malfaisants dont on reconnaît l'un à ses traits acérés et son regard cruel : Lee Van Cleef !
Des plans à intervalles plus ou moins réguliers sur l'horloge nous rappellent que les quatre vilains seront en ville dans un peu plus d'une heure. Cependant, les rats quittent le navire, les collègues ont piscine et même Grace lâche ce mari décidément suicidaire...
Le film n'est pas trop long et sait entretenir la tension (et l'attention) même si ça blablate beaucoup et même si la bagarre avec Lloyd Bridges est grotesque... Mais du coup, lorsque le tchou-tchou arrive enfin, on reste sur notre faim et notablement déçu par la fin : peu vraisemblable, un peu expédiée et mal **** pour tout dire.
Mais pour un western de cette époque, ce n'est clairement pas si mal... malgré la musique qui ressasse cet air casse-burnes et cette chansonnette de merde (en français dans la VF !).
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
