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Surely you know: Marshal Will Kane, newly married, newly retired from office, and about to ride off to a new life, learns that his sworn enemy is out of prison and returning on the noon train to kill him. Kane and his bride--a Quaker who rejects violence--flee as the townsfolk urge. But Kane can't live with that and turns back--only to find himself deserted by both wife and community and left to face four deadly killers alone. That's the premise of High Noon, a 1952 independent film and seminal "adult" Western that became an instant classic. It's also the plot of this 2000 made-for-TV movie, produced by the wife (now widow) of the man who produced the original, Stanley Kramer.

Is there any project more pointless than remaking a classic--especially one that's part of the national consciousness, not only a cinematic but also a moral and political touchstone? Director Rod Hardy has discouraged comparisons by eschewing almost everything that distinguished the original: the music, the theme song, the expressionistic camera angles and ticking clocks and metronomic cutting underscoring the real-time suspense. Enough of Carl Foreman's screenplay has been retained that he's credited as cowriter of the teleplay despite having died in 1984. But the urgency of that screenplay is missing--the underlying allegory of the conformism, betrayal, and fear of the blacklist that had the Hollywood community in a death grip. (Foreman himself was soon blacklisted.)

Tom Skerritt gets the marshal's dignity and exasperation but conveys none of the anguish and vulnerability that made Gary Cooper's heroism all the more moving. Otherwise the cast is a study in drabness: Susanna Thompson stiff and peevish in the Grace Kelly part, Reed Diamond a punk substitute for Lloyd Bridges as Kane's envious deputy, a cast of anonymous Canadians filling in blandly for a gallery of legendary character actors. Only Maria Conchita Alonso and Michael Madsen get within hailing distance of, respectively, Katy Jurado as Kane's former mistress and Ian MacDonald as the malevolent Frank Miller. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Why?
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.

Why not?
I haven't watched the original, but I think it is a good movie... Specially for people who does not follow very much westerns...

I loved it...

NOT AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL
Not too bad a movie, but I would choose the original over this one anytime. If you must have color it's good, but there was a good reason the original was shot in B & W.

Yes, it's better than the original
Really nice remake. More arts, less politics, less fairy tale, more life. Characters are more believable, the crew is more even, more balanced. The original version was revolving around Cooper da Star, cocky, pretentious, almost snobbish; playing not a frontier lawman but a Hollywood "star" (TM) who graciously accepted a role of a lawman but still can't let his star shine fade for one second. In the original, unbelievably beautiful bride, un-humanly evil bad guy etc. In the remake the actors team is better balanced, there is no protruding lump of a leading star they make you stare at any time he pops on the screen. Looks more like a good theatrical (in good sense) than movie-wise.

A disgrace to the original
The acting is horrible, Tom Skerritt gives the only good performance out of all the actors. My full review can be seen at gamenikki.com ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the greatest Manga series ever created!
Master Keaton is one of the most popular Manga in Japan. Unlike Dragon Ball or other Shonen Manga, which are bacically for kids, Master Keaton has been created for mature audiences to enjoy Manga. And now it's available on DVD as animation.

This DVD includes 5 great stories and ex-SAS elite Taichi Hiraga Keaton deals with unique missions as an investigater, as a Falk land conflict veteran and also as a friend. If you love drama, detective story or suspense, you should try Master Keaton. You'll love these stories and Keaton's personality!

DVD contents

Case 11 : Special Menu
Keaton helps a young English man to become a chef in a Chinese restaurant in London.

Case 12 : A Case for Ladies
Keaton investigates a murder case with a help from an elderly woman.

Case 13 : A Peaceful Death
A IRA terrorist asks Keaton's help to find and diffuse bombs in a London shopping mall.

Case 14 : Wall in One's Heart
Keaton's mission is to help a German business person to find his long-lost daughter.

Case 15 : Long Hot Day
In Spain, Keaton is attacked by a killer on four legs. ... Read more