By Charlie McGroarty

Anyone who considers themselves a fan of the western genre, whether they be young or old, must have seen this film by now.

But this 1950’s classic now makes a welcome appearance on DVD enabling the adults to relive old memories and for the younger audience to see just what made GARY COOPER such a star in the land the call Hollywood.

Just in case there are those of you who haven’t seen it, HIGH NOON sees lawman Will Kane (Cooper) trading his Sheriff’s badge for a wedding ring as he gets married to his gorgeous new bride Amy (Grace Kelly).

In the midst of all the celebrations, news come through that a killer he helped put behind bars is returning to town to get his revenge.

Initially the new couple get out of town quick to avoid a confrontation but Kane then realises no matter how far they run away, they’ll always be looking over their shoulder...just in case.

The story then sees our hero returning to town to confront the “baddies”

Unlike most Hollywood films of this type, support for the Sheriff isn’t forthcoming and what follows is a tense lead up to the HIGH NOON train arriving in town.

This is a classic example of the good guy versus the bad guys. If you are looking for a true-to-life, warts-and all story of how the West really was, I suggest that you look else where but if you are looking for a tense western thriller then this film should be an important part of your DVD collection.

This latest release brings superb performances from Cooper (who won an Oscar for his role) and Grace Kelly, in one of her first major roles.

Special mention goes to Thomas Mitchell for his role for his part of standing by Cooper when not many other people are.

DVD extras include a “Making - of” documentary which has one glaring mistake. Gary Cooper won two Oscars in his career, SERGEANT YORK and HIGH NOON. This documentary only mentions the one” HIGH NOON”.

Other features include the original trailer and selected photo and poster sections, not forgetting a filmography.

A classic film in the true sense of the word and your DVD collection would be poorer without this.

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