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High Noon

High Noon

1952
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 25m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 69.29% from 2693 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2693)
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Rated 30 Jun 2010
1
12th
The acting is horrendous, the music is overbearing (theme song is an abortion) and you get beaten to death with the themes repeatedly. The dialogue is bad and the ending is rushed and the definition of anti-climatic. I mean, the bad guys are talked up as being super badass the entire film and then get owned in literally 5 minutes by one old guy and Grace Kelly, rofl. I also love how the plan to kill the Marshall was to just walk into town and and shoot him. REALLY, that's it? So fucking stupid.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
88
91st
I'm not usually a big Gary Cooper fan, but he was excellent. And I loved the editing, the ominous shots of clocks and railroad tracks and empty streets, the political undertones, and the fact that it played out in (almost) real time. Also, John Wayne apparently hated it and I fucking hate John Wayne. Very good flick, I feel bad for avoiding it for so long.
Rated 13 Jan 2009
4
74th
The film essentially plays out in real time, which is a wonderful device for building both tension and sympathy for Kane's plight. It just keeps getting better and better as the minutes tick away. The climactic shoot-out is one of the best ever filmed. Cooper is wonderful, and the photography is nice too. The film isn't without flaws though, such as Grace Kelly's overplaying and a rather annoying score (except for that little drumbeat) and theme song.
Rated 21 Apr 2011
72
88th
It has it's flaws; the overdone score is probably the most obvious candidate. But the film succeeds thanks to its overwhelming atmosphere of tension, emphasized by every ticking clock approaching noon, and the sense of abandonment, finalized when the camera pans out of the empty town, as well as Gary Cooper's noble and weary protagonist.
Rated 07 Sep 2020
75
52nd
The appeal of the western is diminishing among younger generations, young adults were only exposed to them by their parents and kids don't play cowboys and Indians these days. This one might be lauded as one of the best westerns of all time, and while it might be pretty good, that is an appraisal likely limited to people who already like westerns, and not one for the uninitiated.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
4
70th
The best of the classic Hollywood westerns; though it operates firmly within the genre's conventions and standards, there are many details that put it a notch above its contemporaries. The most important of these is the fact that Kane finds not a single person willing to help him; even his best friends urge him to leave town and hide from Miller. Gary Cooper is fantastic, really giving you a sense of his dread and anxiety. The shot of him walking the empty street as the train nears is perfect.
Rated 05 Apr 2010
80
42nd
This is a western for people who don't like westerns: preachy, slow and highly overrated. Cooper's harrowed face and Grace Kelly's beauty are not enough to compensate for the relentless theme song, the charmless supporting cast, the whiny dialogue and the continual, heavy-handed reinforcement of the theme. Watch "Rio Bravo" instead.
Rated 26 Dec 2013
74
76th
One man that simply would not back down, even when no one would back him up. The most fortunate thing about this movie is the time it takes place, because at night fall Lon Chaney Jr. turns into a werewolf and Lee Van Cleef a weasel.
Rated 06 May 2007
50
33rd
I used to like this a lot better. Nowadays it just seems as hoary as the day is long. And the ballad gets repeated and repeated and repeated until you want to scream
Rated 09 Nov 2011
65
50th
Sorry, but how can you put Lee Van Cleef in a movie and not use him? Urgh, it's so saaaaaad! Decent, and I especially like two things: the realtime plot and the fact that the sheriff isn't some macho/romantic western dude. He's pretty normal.
Rated 09 May 2016
50
42nd
I could really empathize with that "fucking bisexual girls. every single time" look Katy Jurado had right after Grace Kelly ditched her on the train (Don't even try to deny the amounts of lez-magic that went down right there) for Gary Cooper. MAJOR credibility problem: not even considering going for Lee Van Cleef.
Rated 31 Mar 2007
81
46th
A friend to all is a friend to none.
Rated 30 Jun 2008
30
22nd
Overrated like crazy
Rated 20 Jun 2009
8
78th
The cinematic equivalent of watching a clown interrupt a press conference to perform a great show for about 80 minutes, after which he decides to leave. High Noon comes and goes. Pretty sweet film though.
Rated 16 Oct 2010
97
99th
This is easily Gary Coopers best movie and I love the sense of dread that builds up in such a short period of time.
Rated 09 Dec 2010
90
85th
This is a western, but in large part because of its real-time progression of events, it feels like a thriller. It's tremendously frustrating to see the main character Will Kane get abandoned by every single person he asks to help him. I had no prior awareness of the controversy of the film's supposed "un-Americanism", but the political leanings of the filmmakers do come across quite strongly when you think about it, and the film ends up feeling very different from most westerns.
Rated 17 Jan 2012
50
25th
I might be in the minority here, but I really don't understand why this is so well though of. I found the whole thing to be decidedly average. I didn't really see anything special in this apart from a couple of cool shots. I thought the acting and dialogue were mediocre if not plain terrible at points. Maybe it's just one of those films that was groundbreaking at the time but not so impressive now. Still, I think the best films stand the test of time.
Rated 19 Sep 2012
50
56th
So here's the problem: What the fuck? The plot makes about as much sense as a pony made of diamonds. I shoulda just been playing Borderlands 2.
Rated 04 Sep 2013
80
75th
I would've loved this movie even more if Kane punctuated the ending by yelling, "FUCK YOU GUYS," then riding off into the sunset alone with a single middle finger in the air.
Rated 24 Jan 2014
50
9th
pretty underwhelming. the pacing is slow and there is no real pay off. I'm sure that given the right light, I would have loved this movie. but in this day and age, so much oversaturation of things, the simplicity of this movie just doesn't cut it.
Rated 01 Jun 2015
83
88th
'Until death do us part' signifies the beginning of this films' exploration of the ideas that are loyalty, duty and abondonment; from husband to wife, wife to husband, friend to friend, criminal to criminal, man to his word, townfolk to town, priest to god, an individual to the world..
Rated 12 May 2018
40
28th
Does not take my interest very much. So obvious references to the "not so strong masculinty unlike other westerner heros" is okay but not that special too. For it's time, the film might be a little bit creative but for today, meh it's boring, predictable and somehow stupid.
Rated 09 May 2020
52
52nd
Has some great dialog in certain scenes and some cool editing, but the plot meanders on its single thematic which doesn't coalesce into anything interesting while also making the film drag at times. The climax and ending are a total wet fart - they spend the entire film building up the villains but nothing they actually do in the shootout is menacing nor is he given much characterization in general. The fact the hero actually prevails with no qualms takes away a lot from the central thematic.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
94
92nd
High Noon is a really cool lense movie about the red scare in the film industry during the 40s and 50s. It's exquisitely acted by Gary Cooper and directed by the great Fred Zinnemann. It's a movie that everyone should see at least once. Plus it has the beautiful Grace Kelly in it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
Extremely tense and wonderfully acted real-time western thriller.
Rated 28 Aug 2008
68
70th
This classic Western is slick and pleasant to watch. It's pure Hollywood, relying much more on convention than on integrity, but the story nevertheless intrigues.
Rated 13 Oct 2008
83
71st
More than it appears at first, this is a tense, real-time thriller about one man facing his demons alone. The lack of help for the Gary Cooper has led to a lot of allegorical interpretation, especially regarding hollywood's communist witchhunts - while this may be true, it works well as a film on either level.
Rated 29 Dec 2008
98
99th
M: 95/100 S: 100/100 M: Awesome tension-filled Western carried by a great cast and a simple, sad story. S: I bawled my eyes out from start to finish. Gary Cooper is such a great actor. The movie covers honor, morals, duty, courage, and being abandoned by people you thought were your friends, colleagues, neighbors. One of the neat things about this film is that it moves in almost real time, and builds tension by panning to the clock to update you on how close it's getting to.....high noon.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
60
85th
Thinking man's Western rounds up a basic unit of stereotypes -- the legendary aging lawman, his pale-skinned pacifist wife, the dark-complexioned shady lady from his past, and a band of desperadoes with a score to settle -- and nearly paralyzes them with repetitious and largely irrelevant anti-populist propaganda. It is a tribute to the genre, and to the sagging face and shoulders of Cooper, that the stereotypes succeed in holding your interest in spite of all the belabored intellectualizing.
Rated 09 Apr 2009
100
93rd
A minor Western with a soft-pedaled message for the world, this turned out to be a classic simply because it was well done, with every scene and performance clearly worked out. Cinematically it was pared to the bone, and the theme tune helped.
Rated 11 May 2010
91
93rd
I'm not normally a fan of classic westerns but this one is sufficiently deep to not only been engaging but also high memorable. Certainly it lives up to its reputation as one of the best westerns ever made. It manages to go against a lot of genre conventions and Gary Cooper is excellent as the lead. Iconic film and a must see for sure.
Rated 15 Mar 2011
92
95th
This movie captures the humanity of the old west admirably. The real, natural emotions that occur to us when things are truly a matter of life and death are portrayed here beautifully. The amount of tension built through the film's short running time is tremendous, with shots of clocks reminding us of impending doom. I've never felt such dread from the sound of an approaching train. And the cast is wonderful all around. Great movie.
Rated 11 Apr 2011
83
78th
Doesn't rely on action, but instead shows a desperate marshal waiting to die because all of his friends abandoned him. The political undertones are obvious and welcome, since it made John Wayne so mad. Suck it John Wayne. Great film.
Rated 24 Sep 2012
88
37th
not good enough!
Rated 28 Mar 2013
70
44th
Beautifully shot and fairly gripping western with a nice bleak streak to it (hinting at what was to come for the western in the decade that would follow). Some of the arguments that characters make for not helping the marshall make no sense, and though the final action scene is great it still feels far too easy considering how much effort the film put into building up the bad guys as a genuine threat. Very good, but definitely not among the best the genre has to offer.
Rated 08 Jun 2013
93
74th
Goons come to town and the marshal gets ready to fight them alone...
Rated 22 Jun 2013
70
47th
It isn't bad, but I had higher hopes for a western that is often mentioned as one of the best.
Rated 20 Jan 2015
3
30th
a drama about a heroic man who wants to stay despite it being better for everyone if he leaves, including himself. also filled with boring western generic conventions and a whole load of didactic nonsense about how sad it is we don't have enough cops to stamp out the robbers. so fundamentally this is a film promoting law and order above anything else.
Rated 03 Feb 2015
90
92nd
Gadzooks! I felt like an old bowl of beans lovin' those opening credits. "Look at all the fucking clocks" = town motto
Rated 17 Feb 2015
65
45th
It's good but I don't see what the fuss is about. The story didn't resonate with me much and the acting was fine for the time. The song was pretty bad.
Rated 17 May 2015
90
85th
No filler in sight. It's straightforward and ratchets the tension perfectly. Every new sequence of Cooper walking through the streets alone underlines the growing desperation he's facing as he tries to do what is right no matter what everyone around him is saying. There is a cynical streak to it despite the "happy" ending emphasizing a less than positive outlook on humanity that is far darker than anticipated.
Rated 29 Sep 2018
80
75th
It's impossible to watch this film without a historical lens. While High Noon is a good western, it's raised even higher knowing how subversive the film was during the Red Scare. Love how no one pointed out the HUGE age difference between old man Cooper and Kelly.
Rated 12 May 2019
85
92nd
Constantly ratcheting up of pressure. Cool shots and lighting. Gary Cooper got a lot done in an hour. Great villain set up. I liked the lack of an overly extended shootout. Grace Kelly was fine but Katy Jurado was the real scene stealer. Goes against a lot of western conventions, mostly shown in the unsupportive townsfolk and cowardly deputies a la Hollywood blacklisting. Fav scene: Kelly discovering the town didn't much care for their marshal.
Rated 01 Feb 2020
65
61st
Tbh, I can't consider myself a big Cooper fan, but this is either way well-directed and has a good sense of spatial suspense as it denies as much as it can the final shootout -- which is the less interesting thing about this. Influential and canonic as hell, but not a masterpiece on my opinion.
Rated 01 Feb 2023
90
91st
I'm not a fan of the score. It doesn't help the tension that's building and often does what it can to deflate it. Now, it doesn't SUCCEED in deflating it, and that's because this movie packs a lot into a fairly short runtime. Great acting and a sense of gravitas emanate from Cooper especially, but everybody is good. The plot actually hurts, in a good way, because it's so disheartening. It's just really good storytelling that doesn't overstay its welcome at all.
Rated 12 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Great western.
Rated 23 Feb 2007
100
99th
Matar ou morrer estreava há 70 anos em New York. Obra-primaça, provavelmente o melhor filme já feito sobre o macartismo, curto, tenso, preciso. Um primor. Queria ver as 4 horas de extras do blu-ray da Versátil também, mas os comentários de áudio foram suficientes para me fazer chorar com o paralelo com a vida do roteirista Carl Foreman e os anticomunistas da HUAC.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
97
99th
Amazing attention-getter for such a slow moving film. Maybe the most suspenseful film ever made. Wonderful character studies. Outstanding sound track.
Rated 23 Jul 2007
100
99th
Definitely the best western movie of all.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
98th
Most of us have never been left nor been asked to stand alone. High Noon is a story of courage and bravery that bears multiple veiwings.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
62nd
Score based on distant memory.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
72nd
A really interesting allegory, and Zinnemann does a fantastic job of really building up the despair felt by Kane, wonderfully played by Gary Cooper.
Rated 17 Sep 2007
70
63rd
solid but unspectacular
Rated 13 Jan 2008
80
60th
The word classic is overused but this has to be one of the benchmark films in the western genre.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
86
77th
# 283
Rated 09 Apr 2008
97
96th
Anything that pisses off John Wayne is fine by me.
Rated 17 May 2008
85
72nd
Loved it -- so'd dad.
Rated 27 Jul 2008
90
81st
Great soundtrack...
Rated 16 Aug 2008
86
70th
A film of two clever gimmicks, gimmick A being the bad guy coming to town, who appears only at the very end of the film but who serves throughout as an ominous menace in the background, which makes him much more impressive than any standard villain; and gimmick B being the fact that the film is presented in real time, creating suspension even though most of it is essentially just Gary Cooper walking around and talking to random people. And the story is very good, too. Simple, but interesting.
Rated 16 Oct 2008
83
31st
This is the flip side to A Wonderful Life. Instead of the whole town rallying together, they all abandon poor old Gary Cooper to save themselves. Heartbreaking and tense until the very end. Great stuff.
Rated 12 Nov 2008
92
81st
Great western. Loved the opening credits/song as well. Definitely a classic from this genre.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
86
72nd
271
Rated 22 Jan 2009
92
93rd
The greatest Western movie? If not, it's at least on the short list. Gary Cooper is absolutely terrific, and he's backed by an excellent supporting cast including Lee Van Cleef and the very beautiful Grace Kelly. The film relies on suspense and character development rather than action - which it has relatively little of for a Western. And it's all sewn together by that sparse, memorable theme song.
Rated 06 May 2009
80
91st
Brilliant, classic Western.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
74
74th
High class Western with a quality cast.
Rated 14 Aug 2009
88
85th
Not the best western I've ever seen, but pretty damn close.
Rated 02 Sep 2009
80
60th
Even with the knowledge that the film is more about the Hollywood blacklist, I still don't think it's that strong. There's nothing technically wrong with it, but there's been better westerns.
Rated 25 Oct 2009
90
96th
Maybe my biggest mistake ever (previous rank: 60). Every single shot in this movie is perfect. I mean EVERY!!!
Rated 27 Oct 2009
86
90th
Gary Cooper is badass.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
87
74th
255
Rated 14 Jan 2010
95
97th
A masterful western that tells a great story (in real time, no less).
Rated 18 Feb 2010
70
57th
Such bullshit, but visual poetry.
Rated 27 Feb 2010
90
69th
Likely one of the greatest westerns that doesn't have the name Ford or Leone stamped on it. The tension within the film is practically unequaled, and does a much better job than a lot of contemporary attempts, including films such as Inglorious Basterds. Being a western, some of the performances are a bit hammy, and it's not for everyone, but the sense of isolation the film produces is quite acute and powerful. Definitely worth watching.
Rated 01 Mar 2010
70
61st
It is far from one of the my favorites western movies, but it is a good movie. A simple story with a clever direction, with features of more tension and drama.
Rated 21 Mar 2010
70
19th
Gary Cooper is great, but that's about the only thing.
Rated 03 May 2010
8
80th
"High Noon" has the great performance (Cooper) and fantastic camera work. Yet it is unlike the majority of westerns you will see. Played mostly in real time (the clocks were a great touch), it was more a thinking mans western. Seems to go against a lot of conventions but at the same time follow genre cliches. Intriguing film.
Rated 22 Jul 2010
95
79th
A superb Western and close to the best within the genre. The film happens in real-time, and there is no action until the end. Boring, you might think, but it is utterly absorbing and entertaining nevertheless. It is allegorical too and makes a bold political statement.
Rated 04 Aug 2010
75
53rd
This movie won't be remembered for the ending, but it will be remembered for the great build-up to it. All in all a very good western.
Rated 27 Aug 2010
82
65th
Brilliantly built-up but the final scenes are nothing exceptional. Reminds me of Cape Fear, that one was brilliantly set up too but lacked the boldness to show something truly evil or unexpected in the end. Still very good movie.
Rated 21 Nov 2010
85
68th
This movie makes me outright mad. After the "showdown" I'd have whooped everyone in that town.
Rated 02 Dec 2010
90
51st
A straight-forward no-nonsense tightly woven thriller. Almost all aspects, except perhaps Music, are top-notch. Grace Kelly is both adorable and annoying. Katy Jurado is majestic & ravishing. Performances, screenplay, direction & camera are some of the best I have seen. A low point is the character of Frank. Given that the main villain appears only in the last 20 minutes, the character could have used more depth, in terms of writing & acting, to live upto the buildup. Otherwise an excellent film
Rated 26 Dec 2010
91
94th
91.250
Rated 10 Jan 2011
71
22nd
I like it. It's one of the best westerns I've ever seen.
Rated 14 Nov 2011
72
61st
This is a good movie to watch if you're just trying to get into westerns for the first time. It was a little less than amazing for me, because the plot felt generic. Bad guys are on their way to town, so the sheriff has to round up a posse to fight back, but you know in the end it's going to be a mismatched showdown. But still, don't overlook it even if you're a huge western fan and the plot does seem familiar.
Rated 19 Nov 2011
70
57th
"High Noon" is a slow-burn western that's strong in almost every department: from Zinnerman's taut direction and the script's interesting moral implications to the fine acting from Cooper, Kelly and Co. The suspense evolves gradually to climax in a really suspenseful montage just before the bad guys enter town. The final confrontation itself is rather predictable but finely put together all the same. All in all, an entertaining and smart enough film.
Rated 21 Nov 2011
78
63rd
Hasn't really aged that well, but the simple story still works. Cooper is naturally marvellous.
Rated 22 Nov 2011
80
86th
The brilliantly simple set-up and (more or less) real time storyline makes for a sweet no-nonsense western classic.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
84
68th
#311
Rated 21 Jan 2012
90
84th
One of the best westerns I have seen. I love that this movie takes place in real time. I believe for its time, it was pretty innovative.
Rated 18 Mar 2012
72
54th
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Rated 20 Jun 2012
82
85th
As an exercise in slowly building and sustaining tension, High Noon sets an example to all film-makers. It's masterful the way Zinnemann flicks between dialogues, crowd scenes, solo scenes, comedic interludes, and action, while all the time maintaining the atmosphere of dread via the use of repetitive music, clocks, and cold symmetric framings. Even if the characters are never sufficiently explained, on a technical level this one's a classic for film buffs to watch and pore over time and again.
Rated 01 Aug 2012
80
57th
Bold in spirit, but not in style, this anti-McCarthyism Western hasn't aged well, and considering the films that were coming out in Europe and Asia the same year (Ikiru, Umberto D), High Noon can't compete in terms of cinematography, script, or acting.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
100
98th
From the first minute to the last everything runs like clockwork, as the story unfolds in real time, which gives it even more suspense and urgency. The plot makes sense, even the music fits perfectly. A great movie!
Rated 26 Oct 2012
78
79th
* Casting, Acting : 8 * Script : 7 * Directing, Aura : 8 * Ease of Viewing : 8 * Naked Eye : 8
Rated 06 Feb 2013
6
44th
Great pacing and framing,a classic western with a predictable ending. How responsible are films like this for America's current gun culture?
Rated 06 Mar 2013
85
90th
Somewhat heavy-handed with its message about moral fortitude, but any preachiness is easy to forgive because everything else is pulled off so well. Cooper is incredible and the ticking-clock concept really adds to the mounting tension and foreboding atmosphere. I even liked the theme song.
Rated 13 Jan 2014
91
96th
A wonderful movie that has some interesting trivia behind it.
Rated 29 Jan 2014
68
40th
A flawed, yet wonderfully tense film in which a town abandons its dutiful marshal while the clock ticks down in real time to the arrival of an as-yet-unseen man coming on the 12 o'clock train to kill him. A minor weakness is the overplayed theme song; a major one is the showdown at the end -- a too-easily-resolved and cliched infusion of action into what was an otherwise fine western-themed melodrama.
Rated 17 Feb 2014
68
75th
Fantastic slow grind, leading to an amazingly tense sequence as the noon train finally arrives. The final showdown perhaps feels a bit too traditional & easy given the leadup, but it doesn't diminish the power of the ending.
Rated 12 Aug 2014
95
92nd
We postmodern youngsters can laugh all we want at the melodramatic moralizing, but an aspiring director could learn virtually all they need to know about precise visual storytelling from High Noon.

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