‘It takes more than big, broad shoulders to make a man...’
Right. Imagine a typical western. Boring, right? Ok, now imagine a western that is under 90 minutes, barely features a gun fight and the protagonist is genuinely a masculine icon rather than just a bully. Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve just imagined High Noon…
Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper), a small town sheriff, awaits the return of Frank Miller (Ian McDonald), a dangerous lowlife who is returning to Kane’s town after being put away for life years before. Now he’s back, and he wants revenge. Much to the chagrin of his wife Amy (Grace Kelly), Kane insists on sticking around to take on Miller and his men, despite the clear and present danger this decision entails.
I don’t know much about Gary Cooper, but this is how a movie hero should be. This character could have been played by Jimmy Stewart such is his devotion to morality and doing the right thing. Miller, the antagonist, is merely a whisper for most of the movie. Oft mentioned but never seen. The reticence of the town’s menfolk to stand with Kane and fight is enough to make Miller a fearsome character without ever actually seeing him on screen.
Director Fred Zinnerman does a wonderful job in building the tension to boiling point, with the final showdown surely one of cinema’s best. The demented whistle of the steam train marks the high point and from there the final 20 minutes somehow manage to live up to everything that has come before. It’s quite the build up.
High Noon is a lesson in economical filmmaking and the art of telling a story in less than 90 minutes. Sure, we’ve seen these characters before, but that doesn’t mean that they are broadly drawn or cliche. Cooper’s heroic sheriff is an iconic cinematic hero, and this is a testament to just how effective the great man was as an actor. Kane even has his very own theme song with Tex Ritter’s classic (High Noon) Do Not Forsake Me never far away whenever Cooper is onscreen. One of the all time great westerns.