High Noon is not a typical western fare. The protagonist is not a hand gun virtuoso who can shoot down an army of opponents. He is a simple duty conscious sheriff who has no illusions about what he can or cannot do. His strong resolve is pitted against the vulnerable situation he finds himself in, where he must face four criminals looking for revenge. This he must do without any back up or even moral support.
Unlike, many films of the genre, High Noon, presents the situation, as it is. Four men are more than enough to make any reasonable man scared and our Sherriff here is a reasonable man.
Almost the entire run time of the film is devoted to a very interesting buildup where the director succeeds in conveying his messages without melodrama.
There is a saloon, there is a church, there is a barber and a drunk cowboy. But there are also exceptionally drawn characters that provide credible rationales for being what they are in the frontier.
Cooper's growing dejection and revulsion towards the townsfolk is finely sketched.
The shoot-out sequence that runs for only 11 minutes or so towards the end, is fairly balanced and devoid of stylized violence that we are so accustomed to see in westerns.
With many things going for it, the movie is a must watch, for exhibiting reserve in this genre.
Review of High Noon
