10 Most Ambitious Westerns Movies Ever Made

Controversial upon release though still managing to garner an initial acclaim which has only grown since, High Noon sought to use the western to tell a tale resonant with the then political situation of anti-communist McCarthyism.

The story of High Noon is deceptively simple and truly affecting. Newly married Marshal Will Kane is on the eve of retirement when news reaches town that outlaw Frank Miller, whom Kane has thrown in jail, has been released and is en route to town. Kane's sense of duty has him stay to face off against the outlaws, as one by one the town's residents demonstrate that they either cannot or will not help him.

First and foremost, High Noon's ambition is evident from its realtime presentation, the tension slowly ratcheting up. Secondly, the allegory with McCarthyism is subtle enough that it does not detract from the story whilst present enough to be grasped, all in all turning a simple tale into something of a myth.

Inexorably building to a final, inevitable showdown, High Noon deservedly stands as one of the genre's most accomplished feats and certainly most of its most ambitious.