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High Noon

Play trailer Poster for High Noon PG 1952 1h 25m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 90 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Former marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is preparing to leave the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico, with his new bride, Amy (Grace Kelly), when he learns that local criminal Frank Miller has been set free and is coming to seek revenge on the marshal who turned him in. When he starts recruiting deputies to fight Miller, Kane is discouraged to find that the people of Hadleyville turn cowardly when the time comes for a showdown, and he must face Miller and his cronies alone.
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High Noon

High Noon

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Critics Consensus

A classic of the Western genre that broke with many of the traditions at the time, High Noon endures -- in no small part thanks to Gary Cooper's defiant, Oscar-winning performance.

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Critics Reviews

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Kate Cameron New York Daily News 09/20/2022
3.5/4
Not since My Darling Clementine have we seen a more exciting gun battle on the screen than that in High Noon. Go to Full Review
Newsweek Staff Newsweek 09/20/2022
Add a string of plausible characterizations and an excellent performance by Gary Cooper as a former town marshal, and High Noon moves up into the class of absorbing drama. Go to Full Review
Richard L. Coe Washington Post 09/20/2022
This gives us some time-tested staples: Gary Cooper, a pioneer Western town, lawlessness, gun-shootin' and a haunting theme song you've probably heard already. To these add a movie rarity -- a mature point of view. Go to Full Review
Bianca Garner InSession Film 07/31/2024
It’s a film with an universal and timeless story, good versus evil. It’s an straightforward film with a clearly defined hero and villain. To say that they don’t make films quite like High Noon, is an understatement. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 05/07/2024
5/5
High Noon is not only one of the best Western films of all time but changed the way people viewed the Western genre. Go to Full Review
André Bazin L'Obs (France) 10/04/2022
Without question, this is one of the three best westerns since Stagecoach (the other two being The Westerner and My Darling Clementine). But my admiration for it is not without qualification. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mark B @Thelaser555 2d Gary Cooper, full of self-righteousness and puffed up morality, let's it get the better of him by ditching his bride (none other than the beautiful Grace Kelly) to fight it out in some hick town against the man and his gang he put away some years back. He should have ridden off into the sunset with the lovely Kelly (a Quaker who didn't believe in violence) and start a new life as a shopkeeper. No one in hicksville wanted to help this ageing ex-sheriff. Why should they risk their lives when after all, they had quite liked the gunslinger Cooper put behind bars. So, here we have it. Cooper is by himself, waiting for this bloke, Frank, and his Firm to ruck up at mid-day. It's all a bit ridiculous of course. One man, who was actually 51 years old, up against four lean and mean gunmen. Strangely, they arrived on foot from the station, not on horses because if they had been on horses Gary Cooper would have been a dead 'un. Just can't see what all the fuss is about this movie. See more Elliot K @valos Jun 27 The suspense was very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought it dragged at points which brought it down a notch. See more thiago S @Thiagostone Jun 8 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Claudia M @RT09174260 May 29 The timing, the slow build, the drama and the mix of older Gary Cooper and young gorgeous Grace Kelly (as a Quaker!!) really grabbed us. I would go so far as to say a must watch! Just don’t pair it with devil wears Prada 2 or you will lose all your hope for the future of our world! LOL See more Chris B @Papa13070 Mar 30 Gary Cooper won a Best Actor Oscar for his solid portrayal of a retiring marshal in a tumbleweed town facing down a band of cutthroats all by himself. Confrontation between good and evil still resonates today, cannily filmed in "real time" (with lots of clocks on-screen reporting the upcoming showdown). Edited to precision (which copped another Oscar), stylishly directed and featuring fine supporting performances from Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Thomas Mitchell, Katy Jurado, Lee Van Cleef and Lon Chaney. Other Oscars: the low-key score and the narrative tune "High Noon ("Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')". A treasure of a movie. See more Gary F @GaryF Feb 22 It is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I had heard that many boys in the 50's were named Gary because of Gary Cooper, so I thought I should see his award winning performance in High Noon. It was hard for me to endure. The script was stilted, the acting was wooden, there was poor character development (I still don't know who some of the characters were supposed to be), the plot was slow and not well explained, and the music was weird and poorly done. See more Read all reviews
High Noon

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Movie Info

Synopsis Former marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is preparing to leave the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico, with his new bride, Amy (Grace Kelly), when he learns that local criminal Frank Miller has been set free and is coming to seek revenge on the marshal who turned him in. When he starts recruiting deputies to fight Miller, Kane is discouraged to find that the people of Hadleyville turn cowardly when the time comes for a showdown, and he must face Miller and his cronies alone.
Director
Fred Zinnemann
Producer
Stanley Kramer
Screenwriter
John W. Cunningham, Carl Foreman
Distributor
United Artists, Criterion Collection, Republic Pictures
Production Co
Stanley Kramer Company
Rating
PG (Some Western Violence|Smoking)
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 24, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2011
Runtime
1h 25m