Customer Reviews

High Noon [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I saw this DVD in the bargain bin at my local Wal-Mart for $4.99. At that price, and being a big fan of the original, I was intrigued. I am also a fan of Tom Skerritt who stars in this one as Will Kane, the hapless marshal whose integrity and honor force him to make a solitary stand against four bad guys and an apathetic town.

I am sorry to say that, despite a valiant effort by Skerritt, this remake and the rest of the cast fall woefully short. Even at bargain price I would pass on this one if I were you. It's just an impossible task to do what is attempted here: remaking or improving on perfection. Gary Cooper defined the role of Will Kane. Period. You might as well attempt a remake of THE COWBOYS, TRUE GRIT, THE SHOOTIST or THE SEARCHERS with someone other than John Wayne in the lead.

THE HORSEMAN

This is a film based on the western novel, The Tin Star. This particular version is a Ron Hardy remake (headlining Tom Skerritt) of the Gary Cooper movie classic by the same name - High Noon.

The story is austerely set in an Old West town, and is simple . . . the bad guy has been released from prison and is arriving on the noon train. He will seek revenge on the Marshal. The bad guy is bringing friends. Sounds pretty familiar. Add that the Marshal is a newlywed, and ready to retire. He also has an old flame in town. The townspeople love him but will not physically risk themselves to help him. The Marshal is facing this alone and has a bad feeling about his situation but is resolved to be faithful to his duty. It's a good story, but simple and puts a big load on the lead actor to pull it off well.

I'll go ahead and jump onboard the comparison wagon (everyone else has), and comment on this version as compared to the original. Reviewers are being really tough on this remake, but, my opinion . . . if you've never seen the original, you'll enjoy this. If you have already seen the original, you'll probably still enjoy this. A film remake analogy that comes to mind is the great, On the Beach, from Neville Shute's novel. The original was one of the greatest films of all time. The remake is a pretty good film.

This newer version is missing a few things - mainly Gary Cooper. It also lacks that classic music theme and the general ambiance of those great 40's/50's Hollywood westerns. On the upside, Tom Skerritt does a very good job of selling himself as an aging and vulnerable lawman ready to retire. Susanna Thompson was rather weak as the newlywed Quaker bride, but the rest of the supporting cast is adequate. Production values are moderately good and the set is believable with plenty of mud and general grunge that was lacking in the original.

It was a nice re-visit to a favorite old movie tale.

People have all kinds of reasons for giving a product a low rating. It may be that they do not like the topic, be it book or movie. It may be that they did not like the production... unfortunately, sometimes folks give a low rating based on their own personal reasons, which are not usually very helpful to most shoppers.

In my opinion, this movie is as good as the original. I love the original and I love this newer version also. To be sure, if you have seen the original, you do not need to see this one, because it is so similar... UNLESS, you really love the story and wand to see it again with different actors.

This newer version is no better than the original, but it is no worse either. It has the same quality as far as I am concerned. It's a great movie.... like the original it's well acted and the production is tops.

If you are one of those people who do not like remakes of classics, then that is fine, that is your preference. However, that does not take away from the product's quality. And, this product is a 5 star movie.

This is a 2000 made-for-tv remake of the 1952 classic Western with Tom Skerritt in the Gary Cooper role. Both films are based on the novel "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham.

Skerritt plays just-retired, just-married Marshal Will Kane. He and his bride are informed that a man Kane put in the slammer years ago has been paroled; this owlhoot swore he'd kill Kane when he got out and he's coming in on the noon train. His henchmen are even waiting for him at the train station. Kane and his bride are encouraged to flee for their lives and start their new life together. Why not? -- he's not even a sheriff anymore. But the new Marshal won't arrive for another day or so and something in Kane prevents him from running like a cur with his tail between his legs. He has about an hour and fifteen minutes to marshal up help to make a stand. In addition to all this, his wife is a Quaker who doesn't believe in violence and threatens to leave him if he insists on staying and fighting.

One interesting facet of this Western is that the story plays out in real time. The film runs 88 minutes and Marshal Kane has just over an hour to prepare for the confrontation.

Skerritt does a good job depicting an aging man who is about to face a fight-to-the-death, most likely alone. I'm sure Marshal Kane has better things to do, like enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife (Sussanna Thompson), but his manhood and sense of duty force him to courageously make a stand. This reminds me of times back in High School where I was scheduled to fight someone (after school or whatever). I knew at such-and-such time I was going to face so-and-so and a bunch of people would be watching. The anticipation wasn't fun but my manhood wouldn't let me back down. Of course there's no comparison since Marshal Kane is anticipating a gunfight wherein he could very likely die, not a mere fistfight, but if the anticipation before a fistfight is intense, how much more so a gunfight?

Some criticize the story of "High Noon" on the grounds that it makes the citizens of the average Western town out to be a bunch of cowards but, really, there are no less than four people who are willing to help the Marshal. Many of the others who decline have valid reasons for staying out of the fracas, although some are just plain yella.

Since Kane's new wife is a Quaker the film brings up the idea of total pacifism. While the idea is attractive and I understand her reasoning, total pacifism does not work in this present world. The New Testament does not support the idea of absolute pacifism. It teaches, rather, that pacifism is proper in certain situations and not in others. Jesus' ministry team had a treasury box with loads of money and some of his workers carried swords for protection from thieves and murderers. Also, Romans 13 clearly states that the righteous laws of human governments are God-ordained for the purpose of punishing criminals, including the right to execute when appropriate. Even in cases where pacifism is called for a disciple is not to idly sit on his/her rump but to fight on a spiritual level and overcome evil with good. The vast majority of sane Christians realize this, but there are a few extemists who refuse to be BALANCED with the Scriptures on this subject and insist that conflict and especially armed conflict is NEVER appropriate. Kane's wife in the film is such a person, but perhaps she'll discover the error of her beliefs. In any case, "High Noon" makes an important point: Some people are so morally degenerate and evil that execution is the only just ultimate reaction (notice I said "ultimate").

There are quite a few good parts, e.g. Kane's brief talk with the wife of a coward, the church scene and, of course, the ending gunfight.

As for comparisons to the original film, I have no bias or nostalgia. It's been years since I saw it (the '52 version) so it's not fresh in my memory, but I don't see how this remake pales in comparison as many of the reviewers here contend. This rendition is in color, has a good score, good actors and locations (CL Ranch, Calgary, Alberta). What more do you want? It may not have the cinematic pizzazz of modern Theatrical Westerns but, if given the choice between the two, I'd probably choose Skerritt's version over the original. Besides, I loathe black & white.

So, why not 5/5 Stars? Despite the story's potential and the anticipation of the gunfight, something prevents "High Noon" (both versions) from being truly captivating. In fact, it almost has a laid-back vibe. Needless to say, those with ADHD should avoid like the plague. Don't get me wrong, I love great drama and intelligent dialogue-driven stories but something needed done to make it a bit more engrossing and emotionally stirring. Still, this is a very worthwhile Western.

Oh, my.

I wanted to see this because, essentially, it's a good story: A man fights for what is right despite the ambivalence of a town and the betrayal of beliefs by the town's upright citizens.

And I wanted to see the "High Noon" remake just to get away from that AWFUL and continual use of the original movie's tune almost every 30 seconds.

But this modern-day version is odious for many reasons.
Among them:
*The laughable and community-theater acting skills of all of the characters except Tom Skerritt. He does a capable job and collects his money and left on the noon train.
*The also laughable wardrobe of its characters. The new sheriff who is to take over Will Kane's (Skerritt's) job is outfitted in what can kindly be called a Hong Kong knockoff of a plastic faux leather coat. The bad guy/leader of the gang out to kill Kane is attired in a Dolce & Gabanna black outfit with what seems to be silk scarves around his neck. THIS GUY HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM A WESTERN PRISON!!! Did he stop off at a Chicago haberdashery before he comes to town to kill the sheriff and the judge?
As for costumes, the town seems divided along these lines: The well-attired townsfolks and the scraggly cowboy types. Thee is no middle ground. Either well-heeled or badly-heeled.
*Maria Conchita Alonso is laughable in her accented western English. The lines by most cast members seem delivered as if they are reading from a slow teleprompter. The men all seem to have shaved just before the cameras started rolling. Clean citizens, they are.

Susanna Thompson (the sheriff's new wife) seeems to be a refugee from the soap opera school of acting. Her lines are without real emotion and flat.
The telegraph operator seems to be another refugee but from the bad 1950s school of western acting. He's laughably skittish, skinny and always seems to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

Come on!
If you're gonna remake a classic, at least make an attempt at making a good product. Here's a hint: It was made by TBS Superstation, the credit says. No wonder.

At the end of the movie I pined for the classic. I even pined to hear that awful movie tune of the original playing every 30 seconds or so. This western needs to die a quick death. Either that or somebody get the sheriff to put me out of my cinematic misery.

I don't recall seeing the original version of this movie, so I am judging this movie on it's own merit. I thought it was a pretty good story, but the casting just wasn't right.Worst of them was Michael Madsen as the bad guy, Maria Alonso as the ex lover and the spurned lawman.All are good actors, but in this film were terribly miscast.Not a very good movie.

Do not try to remake a masterpiece. I like Tom Skeritt, but he is no Gary Cooper. Original "High Noon" cannot be remade--so leave it alone. The music help make the tension in the original, the new version has hadly any music at all. Very poor don't waste your time-- watch "Dumb and Dumber" instead....

Why remake a classic and then remove ONLY the elements that made it a classic? The things director Rod Hardy removed--the song, the real-time attention to the ticking clock, the weird camera angles--added the element of suspense to the original. And, suspense is what this remake is lacking. Watch the original.

In fact, don't even think about it. That's the advice someone should have given to the producers of this remake. The original "High Noon" is a movie that cannot be improved upon. No one could possibly bring more to the film than Gary Cooper did. Tom Skerritt brings only a pale imitation. I rank this as the second-stupidest remake of all time. It's not horribly awful, like the laughably awful remake of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" with counter-culture kung fu star Tom Laughlin ("Billy Jack Goes to Washington"). It's simply bland and generally inoffensive. That is an offense in itself, however, considering what you could have bought with the same money. Okay, the producers of this film made a mistake, but you don't have to. Get the original and skip this tepid made-for-TV travesty.

I was a huge fan of the original movie, and I went into this one expecting something different. Some sort of new twist or perspective.

What I got is basically the exact same movie, only this time in color, with a less impressive casting job, and all the dialogue rewritten so that the plotline is spoon fed to you.

I don't know what's worse, the fact that certain shots are remade almost perfectly from the old movie, or the fact that almost the first twenty minutes are devoted to characters explaining to each other things which were obvious to the viewer in the first movie, without the characters stopping to tell each other how they felt. For a movie that's based around the last hour before noon, there's a remarkable lack of suspense here.

It would have been hard to top the original, but they didn't even bother trying here. This is just a poorly made clone.