High Noon (1952)
91%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
17 wins & 11 nominations total
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.
High Noon is a classic Western that will have you on the edge of your seat. The tension builds as the clock ticks down and Gary Cooper’s character tries to rally the townsfolk to stand up against the bad guys. Sure, some of the camera shots may seem a bit over-the-top, but who cares when you’ve got Cooper’s rolling gait to admire? And let’s not forget that unforgettable theme song. It’s the perfect movie for anyone who loves a good underdog story.
Production Company(ies)
Decla-Bioscop AG,
Distributor
Republic Pictures, United Artists, Criterion Collection
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some western violence, and smoking
Year of Release
1952
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 25m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 1952 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 22, 2002
Genre(s)
Western
Keyword(s)
starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Otto Kruger, directed by Fred Zinnemann, written by John W Cunningham, Carl Foreman, Western, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ed Potton, David Parkinson, Nell Minow, William Brogdon, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Derek Adams, Don Shanahan, Manny Farber, Matt Neal, Mike Massie, Tom Beasley, Clyde Gilmour, PG rating, Stanley Kramer produced, former marshal, revenge, showdown, real time, moral dilemmas, relationships, heroine, individualism, duty, pessimistic setting, realism, suspenseful moments, Oscar-winning performance, deconstruction, genre tropes
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Grace Kelly – Amy Fowler Kane
Katy Jurado – Helen Ramirez
Thomas Mitchell – Mayor Jonas Henderson
Lloyd Bridges – Deputy Sheriff Harvey Pell
Otto Kruger – Judge Percy Mettrick
Director(s)
Fred Zinnemann
Writer(s)
John W. Cunningham, Carl Foreman
Producer(s)
Stanley Kramer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
17 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (3)
Few westerns have conveyed fear so potently as Kane tries to persuade the townsfolk to stand against Miller and his gang, while the clock runs down in real time.
September 20, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Ed Potton
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Deserving of its label as a true classic, and essential viewing.
July 26, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Tense 1950s Western is still a cinema classic.
December 24, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Zinnemann carefully and deliberately makes the most of the mood cast by the threat of impending violence.
October 18, 2008
William Brogdon
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Some of the results ring false, but the memorable theme song and some equally memorable character acting (by Thomas Mitchell and Lon Chaney Jr. more than Lloyd Bridges and Katy Jurado) help things along.
September 4, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
High Noon won a fistful of Oscars, but in these days of pasteboard screen machismo, it’s worth seeing simply as the anatomy of what it took to make a man before the myth turned sour.
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Still powerful and influential after all these years and political waves.
October 31, 2021
Don Shanahan
Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast
A movie which does take you into every part of the town and features features Cooper’s beautiful rolling gait, but which reveals that someone spent too much time over the drawing board conceiving dramatic camera shots to cover up the lack of story.
September 15, 2021
Manny Farber
The Nation
The film’s assessments of violence and responsibility continue to see High Noon so deliciously open to discussion almost 70 years on.
September 26, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
An unforgettable, powerful Western of unequaled quality that boasts one of the greatest of all movie endings.
August 22, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It’s the epitome of an underdog hero fighting back against the odds.
August 16, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Beasley
VultureHound
…something fresh and mature and honest by dint of superior treatment all along the line.
October 7, 2019
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine…
Plot
On the day he gets married and hangs up his badge, Marshal Will Kane is told that a man he sent to prison years before, Frank Miller, is returning on the noon train to exact his revenge. Having initially decided to leave with his new spouse, Will decides he must go back and face Miller. However, when he seeks the help of the townspeople he has protected for so long, they turn their backs on him. It seems Kane may have to face Miller alone, as well as the rest of Miller’s gang, who are waiting for him at the station.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his performance in High Noon.
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