It’s a day of celebration in Hadleyville as Marshal Will Kane marries the half-his-age Amy Fowler (eesh). After their courtroom ceremony, Kane then moves down to his next commemoration—his retirement as Marshal (Fowler is a quaker and doesn’t want him engaging in such a violent profession). The two prepare to leave town and honeymoon on the prairie or something, when word arrives that Frank Miller, an insane criminal Kane put away, is back in town and looking for revenge. Unfortunately, the town isn’t scheduled to get their new Marshal until tomorrow. #ipickedthewrongdaytoquitsmoking In light of this, Kane decides he can’t hang up his tin star quite yet and set about town trying to recruit a posse to deal with the Miller problem. But something disturbing happens: Instead of valiantly rushing to join Kane, as they had 5 years ago when they put Miller away, the townsfolk reject his request. Whether for cowardice or disdain for Kane, now finally boiling over, one by one the townsfolk make it clear they have no intention to help and would prefer Kane to leave. Kane must wrestle with his principles, his honor, his wife, and his life, and decide how to proceed with evil literally getting closer with each tick of the clock.
Rather than relying on gunfights and spectacle, the film relays on suspense and the threat of violence to drive the story forward. The whole flick plays on a metaphor in a way that you typically see in science fiction. In fact, this film could easily be adapted into a Twilight Zone/Star Trek/Black Mirror, if updated and shot differently. Of course, I completely misread the metaphor. Lol. The film is apparently a commentary on McCarthy-era blacklisting in Hollywood. I instead read it as an allegory for American exceptionalism, with Kane standing up as the only one with the guts/principle to do the right thing. But that’s the funny thing about art, I suppose.
Anyway, all of this is to say that I found the film interesting. The thrust of the narrative sufficiently subverted my expectations of a western and had something to say. And the “in lock-step with time” film style, in which the film counts down to noon in real time (like an episode of “24”), was well done and added to the suspense. Still, I thought the film sagged a bit, with Cooper’s wooden performance failing to do much for me. The boring guy who can’t read a room and just leave with his stunning bride is at risk of paying for his mistake? Boo hoo. LOL…but I suppose that says more about me than this film.