For the third time in a
row I have had to endure annoying background music. Fortunately
though, this one's theme was more subdued and they kept it low and
quiet throughout. Okay, now that I've got my number one problem out
of the way, lemme take a minute to explain just what this movie is.
For those of you that
haven't seen it, which I'm gonna assume is all of you, 'High Noon' is
a 1952 western starring Gary Cooper as Will Kane, a Marshall that is
literally moments away from handing over his badge. But of course he
gets word that some guy he'd put away five years ago just got
pardoned and is on his way back to town via train. Being Gary Cooper,
he decides not to leave town (as he was just about to do with his new
bride) and stay until the new Marshall arrives to handle the
situation. Problem is, that isn't until the next day, because
suspenseful storytelling requires it to be that way. So we watch for
the next hour as Kane tries to get up a posse to deal with the freed
killer and his gang of hooligans. I say tries because apparently
everybody in the town is allergic to confrontation and refuses to
help.
I could go on and tell
you the rest, but I'm lazy and the movie is on Netflix.
H'okay, let's get down to
business. First of all, the music bugged me a bit because they NEVER
STOPPED PLAYING IT. Like, ever. And by music I don't just mean
instruments; there was an old country western singer that liked to
repeat the same lyrics over and over again, like he was OCD and just
HAD to get it right before he could move on. Otherwise, this movie
was a run-of-the-mill western that only seemed to stand out because
it was actually written pretty well. For example, unlike many of
Eastwood or the Duke's movies, I was actually unsure whether or not
the protagonist would survive (please note that if you don't know who
the Duke is, you are required to look it up and watch all of his
movies before you are allowed to talk to me again). There was real,
palpable despair in Kane's eyes as he wrote his will, and not a
little fear, which made the character believable. It showed that he
was just a man trying to do the right thing and not some immortal
gunslinger that could hit a perfect bulls-eye from well beyond his
weapon's operational range.
Now I do need to complain
a bit about a few tropes and cliches that reminded me I was watching
a cowboy flick from the 50's. First of all, there's the fact that the
bad guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. (Why yes, I am
using a cliché myself. I never said I wasn't a hypocrite.) Secondly,
there's this hinted-at love quadrangle that just feels like it was
something that was probably overused even back in the day. Lastly,
something Kane's new bride does near the end was so predictable I
actually would have been more surprised had it not
happened. Of course, I can't tell you exactly what that is without
spoiling the ending, so I'm not gonna elaborate.
Enough commentary, let's
break this down.
Story: 2/3
-while it was a good
story, the aforementioned clichés drag it down a bit too much for me
to give it full credit.
Acting: 2/3
-much like 'Gone With the
Wind,' this movie's acting has to be looked at through the lens of
time, and appreciated for what it was. And, since it was fairly good,
I can't penalize them much.
Music: 1/1
-Okay, so although it
annoyed me, it won two Academy Awards for music alone, so I suppose I
have to give credit where it is due.
Tone: 2/2
-as I said before, the
movie conveyed a sense of hopelessness that I had never before gotten
from a western, and from many films from other genres that are made
today (I'm looking at you, 'Die Hard').
Production Value: .5/1
-Meh. It was well done,
certainly better than many movies of it's day, but it lacked the
flair needed to get full points.
After effect: 1/1
-The resolution satisfied
me, and the overall message I walk away with is enough to keep me
satisfied for a couple more hours.
Total: 8.5/11
Translated to the ten
point scale, that's 7.7, exactly what I rated 'Silence of the Lambs.'
And just like 'Silence,' though the movie was good it didn't quite
make the mark. However, I must say that it would deserve a place on
anyone's list of Best Westerns (not the hotel) and any movie fan's
collection.
