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"Noon" is a classic Western, and an isochronous Western, with a relatively simple storyline. The film has the classic elements of Western films, desolate fields, lonely stations, desolate towns, sheriffs and gangsters, taverns and horses. It's just that, compared to other heroic movies, the sheriff here is closer to a real person, and he is also afraid. He is not a hero, nor does he act like a hero.
The word noon, as the title of the film, provides an interpretation from the very beginning. At noon, the train pulls into the station, and the gangster Frank is coming for revenge. And the scene of the clock appears again and again in the film, reminding the viewer what time it is now and how long it is, tightly grasping the heart of the viewer and creating a tense atmosphere. It culminates in a shootout at noon, culminating in the film's climax.
What impressed me after watching the film was not the shootout at the end, (it didn't feel exciting) but Will Kane running around in the town looking for help. After watching the movie, the two questions I want to think about most are why he doesn't leave and why people don't help him.
When Kane had fled with his girlfriend in the carriage, he suddenly turned back, why, he said: They let me run away, I have never run away from anyone. This is my town, and here are my friends. It happened because of him (he was the one who put Frank in jail five years ago), even if it was the last day on duty, even if it was only a few minutes married, even if it went against his wife's religion, I must stay here. He thought he could muster help, as he did five years ago, but, too young too naive. People are not old.
No one helps. Only ridicule, question, and disagree. Even in the church, a place that symbolizes equality, mutual help, and fraternity, there are still doubts and shirks. All of them are sanctimonious and plausible, which is no different from the righteous indignation of netizens in today's Internet age. A pastor who preaches the gospel of God to everyone will only say I am sorry. No one has the courage to do what they think is right. On the deserted street, the camera slowly recedes, leaving him alone, looking around, helpless, touching the gun on his body, and wiping the sweat from his forehead. At this time, the hero is also afraid. There is no heroism here, although there are thousands of people I have come to, I will face it sooner or later, and I will not escape.
The judge is undoubtedly a sensible man. He taught Kane about the Athenian people in the fifth century AD who greeted the thugs and hurt government officials. He packed his bags and fled because he knew the people of this town too well, or understood the hearts of people too well. Up to now in Athens, people are still the same group of people. He has no intention to change them or protect them. He just doesn't want to be them and continue to be a living judge in another place. (A scene where a gangster goes to a pub to buy wine is confirming the judge's words, today is no different from yesterday in history)
The person who understands Kane best is his ex-girlfriend Ramiz, and Ramiz also hopes that he will leave here wisely,
Kane: I cant
Ramez: I know
A sentence of I know is more than a thousand words. Feels like they're more of a confidant, she defines him as a real man, a man with wider shoulders, trusts him to die for his charges, she still loves him (he, like the judge, is sure there's no one in town to help He, Kane will die in half an hour, saying that he will be alone in the world), of course, this is all over, nothing in life is free, and the most comprehensive choice is to leave the town. She told her wife that maybe it was because she knew him too well.
The person who really loves him is his new wife Amy. Everyone has their own way of life, her younger brother was shot, so she believes in Quaker, and the teaching is against violence and war in any form, but when the gun was fired, she still ran back and shot dead. a gangster. This also became Kane's only ally. I don't know if the director intends to discuss the religious significance of this, but it is a sublimation of Amy's personality.
The editing of the film, especially the close-up shots and the music, especially when Kane wrote his suicide note and the final shootout, really captured the viewers' hearts and made them nervous.
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