Hang 'em High (1968)

Ted Post's "Hang 'Em High" is a very entertaining movie to watch even though it isn't one of the best westerns ever made, and while watching it I was reminded of "High Noon" (1952) which was made 16 years earlier because some aspects of both stories to the two movies are similar even though they are mostly different. The movie stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper who in the beginning of the movie gets hanged by a group of men who accused him of murder, and cattle rustling and the group of men is led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley). A few minutes after Cooper is hanged he gets rescued by Marshall Dave Bliss (Ben Johnson) and is then sent to jail on those charges. Then Cooper meets a local judge (Pat Hingle) who he explains his case to, and then returns to being a lawman to track down those people who attempted to kill him. This was Eastwood's first American western after doing the "Man with No Name" trilogy with Sergio Leone, and the first collaboration between Ted Post and Clint Eastwood. The movie also has really nice backstory to it which is the relationship between Cooper and a local store owner named Rachel Warren (Inger Stevens). Most things about the movie work very well and it succeeds with the elements to making a good western, but it lacks in suspense because of the title making the whole story so predictable except for the ending. I am recommending this movie on the basis of the acting, and the story despite it's predictability, even though it isn't the best western movie that Eastwood has ever done in his career.

Okay, the whole thing reeks of a cheap knock-off of a Spaghetti Western (if that's possible), but there are some recommendables here in Ted Post's Hang 'Em High!Although it's a standard revenger, with Clint Eastwood as a former marshal, wrongly accused of rustling, and subsequently hanged by a lynch mob, only to survive the assault. Eastwood shows some inkling of being something more than a zombot, an actual actor. Pat Hingle is the judge who uses Eastwood when he recovers. Inger Stevens, easily the most ethereal beauty in 1960s moviedom, is the ubiquitous (only in moviedom) hooker with a heart of gold. Ed Begley is the leader of the lynch mob, and he is none too pleased as Clint starts dropping the not-so-much-baddies as stupidies. Throw in Ben Johnson, Arlene Golonka, James McArthur, Bruce Dern, and a bunch of other great character actors, and the cheapjackery of capitalizing on Sergio Leone's works begins to dissipate a bit.I don't like Hang 'Em High so much as I find it reasonably watchable. I'm enough of a movie nut that, if it's on, I'll sit down to see a good performance here or a nice touch there. But just for a few moments. Then I'll move on.After one viewing, so should you.

Hang Em High is a great Eastwood film. This was Clint Eastwoods American Western debut. Clints first film outside of Sergio Leones sensational Dollars trilogy is none other than...a Western. Hang Em High is a rather overlooked entry in Clints long and impressive film wagon. Hang em High was the first production of the Malpaso Company, Eastwoods production company. Viewers may enjoy seeing a lot of familiar faces. Bob Steele (The Big Sleep). Ben Johnson (The wild bunch, the getaway). Bruce Dern ( Black Sunday, Django Unchained, Nebraska, The Hateful Eight). Alan Hale, Jr. ( The Big Trees, Terror Night). L.Q. Jones ( Hell Is for Heroes, The Wild Bunch). Charles McGraw ( Spartacus, A Boy and His Dog). Ed Begley ( Sweet Bird of Youth, 12 Angry Men). Pat Hingle ( Batman, Splendor in the Grass, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Shaft, On the waterfront). N Dennis Hopper in a tiny role. A slow movie but enjoyable.

This is a great western to watch on a cold winter's night....a fast moving story about the attempted lynching of an innocent man with a great well known cast including Clint Eastwood, Pat Hingle, Bruce Dern, Dennis Hopper and even the Skipper from Gillian's Island. Clint is on top of his game here and this was his first American Western after working on Italian Westerns with Sergio Leone. The film is nicely filmed in sharp color and has good character development...believe me there are plenty of characters from the old west in this classy flick. Definitely worth watching.All The Best to IMDb Filmwatchers Tom Wilson, New Jersey, USA (HardToFindMovies)