I gots to say, when your opening shots has Lee Van Cleef, or a guy that at least looks like him? Cool. Even in the grayscale, that dude is pretty bad-ass. If it is actually him? And...confirmed. First film role apparently, with his only dialogue being a harmonica. Sweet, Charles Bronson would be proud. Then there’s the rest of the degens of the, what, late 1800s Southwest? It’s pretty dusty and there’s a bar called the Ramirez Saloon, so I’m guessin pretty outta the way. If you’ve ever seen Deadwood, this obstinate SOB Marshal could probably be Sheriff Bullock’s dad. Which is a good thing.
The town Marshal Kane (Gary Cooper) is hangin up the star and getting hitched to a sweet little Quaker beauty (Grace Kelly), and off they go to their new life. But not before the last minute telegram sayin one of his previous outlaw scumbags is reported to be comin back to town on the noon train, most likely to get revenge after a stint in the hellprison the Marshal helped ship him off to. And despite Kane having put him away and the town prospering in the interim, they turn a pretty cold shoulder on him while the train gets closer. All have reasons. Kane? He doesn’t suck. Might be a little pigheaded, but he does have integrity. So he waits for that noon train, regardless the consequences, and contemplates the lack of the support from the town he swore his life to protect.
This is a pretty decent film, even with the minor dated flaws. Great creative shots throughout the whole film really bring it up a couple notches, the acting is generally pretty good and pacing is well done. And while the song sprinkled throughout is a bit cheese, it help tells the tale, and surprisingly well-done audio with the ticking of the clock to create more suspense. A classic good guy/bad guy story with nice nuance and maybe even a bit of allegory apparently considering the blacklisting that was going on in Hollywood at the time. Cooper does a great job wrestling his morals and new bride as inevitable doom literally clicks closer by the minute.
