Completely exceeded my expectations. For some reason, it's often regarded as the most un-American western (and hated by John Wayne) - which is perhaps partly why me (as a non-American) loved it so much.
It felt like the most human western ever made. Each and every character was so well developed - which is a remarkable achievement given the short running time. Gary Cooper was well-deserving of Best Actor and I can see why Tony Soprano loved the strong and stoic Will Kane character so much. I can also see why Gregory Peck regarded turning down the lead in High Noon as the biggest mistake of his career.
Katy Jurado and Grace Kelly deliver incredible performances too - playing some of the strongest women depicted in film (refreshing for a film of this type). Besides the gripping final showdown, the film is really just a drama that happens to have the setting of a western. It is beautifully shot. The High Noon song by Dimitri Tiomkin will be stuck in my head for days. It really helped make the movie the classic it is.
The fact it takes place in real-time gives events a real sense of urgency. The story is fantastic and you can see its influence throughout countless other films over the years, across all genres. At times it reminded me of The Little Red Hen fable. No doubt a film that will stay with me for a while after watching - highly recommend to those who love cinema, regardless of whether they're into westerns or not.
It felt like the most human western ever made. Each and every character was so well developed - which is a remarkable achievement given the short running time. Gary Cooper was well-deserving of Best Actor and I can see why Tony Soprano loved the strong and stoic Will Kane character so much. I can also see why Gregory Peck regarded turning down the lead in High Noon as the biggest mistake of his career.
Katy Jurado and Grace Kelly deliver incredible performances too - playing some of the strongest women depicted in film (refreshing for a film of this type). Besides the gripping final showdown, the film is really just a drama that happens to have the setting of a western. It is beautifully shot. The High Noon song by Dimitri Tiomkin will be stuck in my head for days. It really helped make the movie the classic it is.
The fact it takes place in real-time gives events a real sense of urgency. The story is fantastic and you can see its influence throughout countless other films over the years, across all genres. At times it reminded me of The Little Red Hen fable. No doubt a film that will stay with me for a while after watching - highly recommend to those who love cinema, regardless of whether they're into westerns or not.