Hang 'Em High (1968) User Reviews

Hell on the Border

[krorie · 8/10 · 12 March 2006]

"Hang 'Em High" is a fictionalized account of Hangin' Judge Parker's court at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Judge Parker had jurisdiction over a large chunk of Indian Territory (Oklahoma today). The house of ill repute in the film is a fictionalized version of Miss Laura's Social Club which still stands in Fort Smith and has the dubious distinction of being the only whore house on the National Register of Historic Places. In the movie, Fort Smith becomes Fort Grant but a few of the place names used are actual names of towns nearby, such as Alma, Arkansas, and Poteau, Oklahoma. The river in "Hang 'Em High" is too small (even before the locks and dams) to be the Arkansas River but could stand in for the Poteau River; the confluence of the two rivers occurs at Belle Point in Fort Smith. Most of the movie was shot in California and New Mexico (certainly not eastern Oklahoma) but the scenes of the gallows and the judge's court and office look very much like Judge Parker's Court in Fort Smith that is also on the National Register of Historic Places. If not actually filmed there, then the producer and director did an excellent job recreating it as a set. Even the dungeon jail is correct.

This was Clint Eastwood's first American western following his triumph in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy. Eastwood wanted Leone to direct this one but he was already committed to another project. From what I read neither Eastwood nor director Ted Post worked well with the producer/writer Leonard Freeman.

"Hang 'Em High" starts out with a bang, a lynching that backfires. To show the audience that Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is a good guy, Cooper rescues a calf from drowning. This ploy was later used in "Tombstone" when Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), on his first appearance on screen, aids a horse that is being mistreated. Wyatt gives the perpetrator a taste of his own medicine reprimanding him, "Hurts, don't it?" Veteran actor Ben Johnson, who was from Oklahoma, happens on the scene while Cooper is still dangling, cuts him free, then throws him into the "tumbleweed wagon" full of thieves and cut throats bound for Fort Grant and justice. After lingering in the dungeon jail awhile, the judge clears Cooper and makes him a federal Marshall, warning him to bring the nine men in who attempted to hang him, but bring them in alive. The rest of the film deals with Cooper rounding up the nine plus a few other killers along the way. There is also emphasis on the different interpretation of justice by Cooper, a former lawman, and the judge. This leads to several dramatic confrontations. There is a parallel story of a search for justice by Rachel Warren (Inger Stevens)who falls for Cooper and visa versa. They have a thirst for vengeance in common.

Much of the movie is fiction, but parts are based on history. The circus atmosphere that accompanied the public hangings in Fort Smith during Judge Parker's rule is shown basically as it has been reported. There were vendors present, hawking all types of goods and goodies. Children wandered around with or without their parents. The fathers would sometimes place their children on their shoulders so the tads could get a better view of the executions. And there were multiple hangings recorded, similar to the one in the film.

The viewer may enjoy seeing a lot of familiar faces in the cast. Veteran actor Bob Steele plays Old Man Jenkins, a member of the lynching party. Bruce Dern is as ornery as they come. He is not only a member of the lynching party but a cold-blooded killer as well. Alan Hale, Jr. (The Skipper to his Little Buddy), one of the lynching party, is a blacksmith who seems apathetic to the incident. Dennis Hopper has what could be labeled a billed cameo role. The viewer barely sees his face at all. L.Q. Jones is a member of the lynching party turning in his usual fine performance. Charles McGraw plays the sheriff of Red Creek (possibly Garrison Creek, which today is Roland, Oklahoma) who has a back problem--or is it a spine problem? James MacArthur makes a solemn preacher extracting final confessions from the condemned.

Pat Hingle portrays the hanging judge in fairly realistic terms. The real hanging judge never watched the condemned swing. Judge Adam Fenton not only watches but nods to the hangmen when to pull the lever. The masterful Ed Begley is the vicious leader of the lynching party who is determined to make amends for his botched hanging of Cooper by hanging him even higher next time. The lovely and sexy Inger Stevens turns in a winning performance as a supplement to Cooper's vengeance. And Clint Eastwood, well, he's Clint Eastwood. Need I say more?

Excellent Eastwood Western. By far the most underrated of his films.

[Conan_The_Barbarian · 8/10 · 29 October 2005]

Clint Eastwood's most underrated film, Hang 'Em High is a throughly enjoyable movie. It has the feel of a John Wayne western, as opposed to the spaghetti western formula in which Eastwood with Sergio Leone combined so magnificently with each other in the Dollars trilogy.

Eastwood gives a very worthy performance as Marshall Jed Cooper. The central dilemma of having to operate within the law in conflict with his own personal view of justice is executed very well by Eastwood. On the whole, Eastwood's performance is certainly a strong point of the film and a great performance in its own right.

The storyline itself is relatively well structured with interesting elements relating to the law and the justice system. However, a rather pointless, rushed and half baked romantic subplot by Inger Stevens (who is sadly woefully out of her acting league alongside Eastwood) adds nothing to the story and becomes rather annoying on repeat viewings.

However, special mention must go to both Pat Hingle and Ed Begley who both give some excellent performances, perhaps even superior to Eastwood himself.

Hang 'Em High is a great Eastwood western, provided you don't expect something magical like The Good, The Bad And The Ugly or Unforgiven. Entertaining and more complex than you would expect but sadly, greatly underestimated. Every Eastwood fan should at least give it a chance.

Overall I give it a solid and well deserved 8/10. Be sure to get a copy of this hidden gem.

Perhaps Under-appreciated?

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 15 June 2006]

I found this to be a pretty solid western, not one you hear a lot about but a fast- moving film which means it entertains. It doesn't dawdle on any one particular scene.

There is a good cast in this Clint Eastwood-starred movie. Pat Hingle did an outstanding job as the too gung-ho judge but isn't all bad and has an interesting explanation of the situation he was in near the end of the film.

Overall, this a gritty story with Eastwood in his customary revenge-minded role, although he mellows somewhat by the end of the film. I also appreciated all the good facial closeups in here. As with most westerns, the movie is nicely photographed.

This movie had a odd combination of being really raw in parts but yet thoughtful. I think it's a very underrated, under-appreciated western.

We all have our ghosts, Marshal.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 31 March 2019]

Hang 'Em High is directed by ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Charles McGraw, Ruth White and Bruce Dern. Music is by Dominic Frontiere and cinematography is shared by Richard H. Kline and Leonard J. South.

An innocent man survives a lynching and returns as a lawman and sets about bringing the vigilantes to justice.

After making a name in Leone's Dollars Trilogy, Eastwood returned to America and began cementing his name in the genre of film that would come to define him. Though very much an American Western, this does have Spaghetti Western tonal splinters. Story is derivative and safe, however the characterisations are not and are pungent enough to warrant viewing investment.

Unfortunately director Ted Post often lets the pace sag to unbearable levels - especially in the last third of film, it's a shame that the mooted Robert Aldrich didn't get the gig. There simply is not enough on the page to sustain the near two hour running time, with the finale proving to be a rather flat experience. The liberal stance on the death penalty is a touch heavy handed, but not so as to kill the picture since the thought process of the complexities of justice holds high interest values. Then of course there is Eastwood to lure one in.

He's not the best actor in the film, though the amorality of character he plays makes him the fascinating centre piece. Hingle steals the acting honours as the stoically forthright Judge Fenton, while Stevens also shines as Rachael Warren, a character who like Eastwood's Jed Cooper has an obsessional motive for capturing criminals in her heart. All told the perfs across the board are pitched right and good value.

I'm not sure if the fact two cinematographers were used was a job for mates scenario? Whatever though, for there's nice work here, the New Mexico locations pleasing and at the same time mood compliant for the harsher edges of the story. Frontiers's music is interesting, full of ebullience - sometimes overbearing, it strangely at times sounds familiar to some of Herrmann's compositions in the fantasy genre...

Hang 'Em High is an important entry in the Western genre library, though neither great or bad, it's still a must see for genre enthusiasts. 7/10

Worth Watching

[gottogorunning · 7/10 · 13 August 2005]

Big Clint's first film outside of Serigo Leone's sensational Dollars trilogy is none other than...a Western. Hang 'Em High is a rather overlooked entry in Clint's long and impressive film wagon, even though it is a serious, no-nonsense and modest look at crime and punishment and a subtle dig at the injustice system, which was somewhat forgotten by his critics who emphasized that he was a symbol of violence, especially in the Dollars trilogy and the Dirty Harry series.

Clint plays an ex-lawman who picks up a new badge after he is almost killed by a group of men who hang him and leave him for dead. He then embarks on a mission to hunt them down one-by-one and hand them over to the law.

Ted Post's watchable Western drama is definitely a refreshing break from most other 'revenge' movies. Instead of cold-blooded vengeance, the script decides to display Clint's character, though still as the cold, silent anti-hero, as a more peaceful person who would truly like to see men behind bars rather than shooting them down. The film also keeps it grip, rarely letting a boring moment crawl in even though this is more talk than action.

Its not a perfect, polished or particularly great film - the characterization always stays pretty low and the romance between Clint and the charming Inger Stevens isn't fully developed, for instance. However, it has its highlights - a memorable opening sequence and an effective musical score - along with its notable touch for seeing justice rather than violence and killing. A good effort that's worth watching and not ignoring.

"If This Territory Is To Become a State...................."

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 17 August 2007]

Hang 'Em High marks Clint Eastwood's return to the American cinema, taking his character from those Sergio Leone films back to the good old USA. And even giving the man with no name, a name.

In this case he's Jed Cooper who has bought some cattle from some rustlers unknowingly and is accused of rustling and murder by a self constituted posse headed by vengeful Ed Begley. The dozen in the posse hang him.

Up to now this sounds like The Oxbow Incident. But unlike what happened to Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and Francis Ford a very old and fraying rope was used. Eastwood's neck doesn't snap and the group don't wait until he chokes to death. He survives and becomes a man with a mission.

The nicest part for Eastwood is he gets to do his mission with the imprimatur of the law. The best performance in the film comes from Pat Hingle who's a no-nonsense hanging federal judge in the territory. He intends to see that laws are enforced and justice is swift.

Besides Hingle and Bailey, director Ted Post gives Eastwood a good cast of film and TV regulars in support. The tragic Inger Stevens is his leading lady here, a woman who's got a vengeance quest of her own going and who really does understand what makes Clint tick. This was one of her last films, she was a troubled and tragic woman in life. A very sad loss.

Clint's legion of fans will love this one.

Worth watching and not to be ignored

[lawrence-14 · 16 July 2001]

Big Clint's first film outside of Serigo Leone's sensational Dollars trilogy is none other than...a Western. Hang 'Em High is a rather overlooked entry in Clint's long and impressive film wagon, even though it is a serious, no-nonsense and modest look at crime and punishment and a subtle dig at the injustice system, which was somewhat forgotten by his critics who emphasised that he was a symbol of violence, especially in the Dollars trilogy and the Dirty Harry series.

Clint plays an ex-lawman who picks up a new badge after he is almost killed by a group of men who hang him and leave him for dead. He then embarks on a mission to hunt them down one-by-one and hand them over to the law.

Ted Post's watchable Western drama is definetly a refreshing break from most other 'revenge' movies. Instead of cold-blooded vengence, the script decides to display Clint's character, though still as the cold, silent anti-hero, as a more peaceful person who would truly like to see men behind bars rather than shooting them down. The film also keeps it grip, rarely letting a boring moment crawl in even though this is more talk than action.

Its not a perfect, polished or particularly great film - the characterisation always stays pretty low and the romance between Clint and the charming Inger Stevens isn't fully developed, for instance. However, it has its highlights - a memorable opening sequence and an effective musical score - along with its notable touch for seeing justice rather than violence and killing. A good effort that's worth watching and not ignoring.

Interesting Commentary on the Criminal Justice System

[sbox · 7/10 · 15 January 1999]

Eastwood, as Jed Cooper, sits on both sides of the fence in American criminal jurisprudence. First, he is hung (although they didn't get the job done) in a deputized mob lynching. After he recuperates (the first time), he returns to his career as lawman to help a "hangin' judge" grease the wheels of justice. Of course all that Cooper really wants is to see justice done to the mob that lynched him. He soon finds out that his transgressors were "men of the community" or leading town folk.

The irony is plentiful in this film. For example, the two young men who go peacefully in an impossible 3 day ride, submit completely to the new Marshall. How are they rewarded? Well, they are hung of course! This really sets the tone of the film. The audience quickly recognizes that the "hangin' judge" just might me a bit too effective in his role of "statemaker."

While the movie does get a bit tedious, the story is razor sharp, the soundtrack is good although a bit epic, and the acting is very well done.

One is left with a sympathy for the men Cooper is hunting. Of course, this is a deliberate result of the filmmakers who meant this to be a commentary on capital punishment. Well, I enjoyed the film despite the deeply woven propaganda.

Clint Eastwood: Now a Man with a Name!

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 13 May 2000]

The film begins brilliantly and brutally with a lynch mob leaving Eastwood for dead at the end of a rope...

He is rescued, eventually cleared of suspicion, and appointed deputy with 'a license to hunt' by a famous hanging-Judge Parker (Pat Hingle) with a clear warning: All the criminals are to be taken alive for trial...

Eastwood proceeds to clean up the worst crimes in the state, but doubting his own motives, he always avoids capturing the gang of nine vigilantes who were responsible for his near-death...

Inexorably, the confrontation comes nearer. The leader of the gang, Captain Wilson (played by Ed Begley), returns to town and wounds Eastwood. This provides an encounter with another victim of the vigilantes, Rachel (Inger Stevens) who nurses Eastwood and reveals that the same gang raped her after murdering her husband...

Eastwood's character is unlike Gregory Peck's character as the blind seeker of justice in "The Bravados" (1958), and much different for the 'Stranger.' He has now more dialog, he has a romance of sorts, and although he is equally proficient with the gun he always waited for the court's justice rather than dispensing his own, as he readily did in the Italian Westerns. He also exhibits less of the dry humor that had characterized the Stranger, and most sacrilegious of all, he has a name, Jed Cooper.

"Hang 'em High" remains a study of differences between public and private forms of justice, but the motivations behind both are left confused and unsatisfying... The gripping mass execution on a big platform, is brilliantly directed by Ted Post, but the film has neither the magic or the mystique of a Leone film...

Interesting Concept, Ends Up Being A Bit Boring

[TheFilmGuy1 · 6/10 · 10 July 2014]

This is a movie that has a cool concept, has some good scenes, but overall isn't the movie it should have been. I wanted a good revenge film, but it was muddled down with things that do nothing but slow it down.

The movie gets into the action right off the bat. We meet Eastwoods character and he is immediately accused of being a cattle rustler and hung. But he survives, and he wants revenge. Sadly, a lot of the revenge is sidetracked by scenes that just make the film boring. First off, we have a lot of scenes in the beginning involving this wagon of prisoners that just seems too long. Then we have a bunch of scenes involving a trial of two cattle rustlers that were accused of murder. We also have a romance thrown in later in the third act. None of these things feel necessary. I thought maybe the movie was going somewhere with the whole corrupt law kind of idea, but it brings it up and doesn't give us much more. The movie could have cut these scenes and it wouldn't have suffered.

Clint Eastwoods performance is very... Clint Eastwood-ish. Lot's of staring and furrowed brows. It's really nothing special here. It works, but it doesn't give us anything too memorable. The other actors get the job done, but also don't really give us a lot to remember or love.

Some people might enjoy this movie, and thats okay, but I personally wouldn't say it's an amazing western. Obviously fans of the genre would want to check it out, but other than that, it just doesn't leave you with a lasting impression aside from a few interesting scenes.

A wonderful and underrated Eastwood western

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 9 June 2005]

Although Clint Eastwood is incredibly famous for his "spaghetti westerns", this film was made domestically just after his spaghetti phase and I think it's as good any of these movies (even "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"). His acting is about the same, maybe a little better, but it's nice to see his supporting cast is much more competent than what we'd been used to seeing. Pat Hingle, Charles McGraw, Bruce Dern and Eg Begley, Sr. all provide able support, as do lesser-known characters such as the "good man" about to be executed or the two young boys who assisted Dern in his cattle rustling.

So apart from an able cast, why did I like it? Well, the story was the key. Clint Eastwood was wrongfully hung by a lynch mob at the beginning of the movie. He miraculously survives and becomes a lawman bent on apprehending the men who almost killed him. Despite this, Eastwood's character has depth and the movie really has something to say about frontier justice. Unlike some westerns, the bad guys are not ALWAYS killed by the Marshall but are brought to justice--which almost always means a hanging. Over time, Eastwood's lust for vengeance diminishes, as it's tough and not always a fair way to exact justice. You see and ultimately believe Eastwood's internal struggle.

Tough Eastwood western with a great soundtrack

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 17 November 2011]

Obviously styled on the Sergio Leone DOLLARS trilogy and with a similar approach to dramatic music and sun-bleached locales, HANG 'EM HIGH is one of Eastwood's toughest films. It has a plot that almost writes itself: Eastwood starts the film by being mistaken for a cattle rustler, at which point he's lynched without trial. He somehow survives, and ends up becoming a marshall, vowing to track down the gang responsible.

That storyline is standard revenge fare for the genre, but two things lift this film above the norm: the style and the musings on capital punishment. As well as the various lynchings, one of the main characters (the great Pat Hingle) is a hanging judge and a (legal) execution sequence is the film's most powerful and harrowing shot. As for the style, for much of the film the action carries along to a loud, crashing score which I loved and which suited the events perfectly.

Eastwood plays one of his sternest characters yet, a man always cheating death and driven by vengeance; there's little of his laidback, laconic charm from the Leone trilogy. The supporting cast is excellent: tragic actress Inger Stevens makes her mark as a woman whose life is driven by her own dreams of revenge, there are tons of western actors present (Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Bruce Dern, L. Q. Jones) and even an outrageous cameo from Dennis Hopper. The film grips your attention throughout until the final violent, inevitable conclusion.

Hang 'Em Better Next Time

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 3 December 2013]

It was in the mid-90s when I first saw Hang 'Em High. I was new to Eastwood's westerns, having just seen the Leone films for the first time. All I knew of this one was a scene that I had seen in television commercials, where Clint says the movie's most famous line "When you hang a man you better look at him." So needless to say I was excited. The movie starts off well enough as innocent Eastwood is lynched by a group of men for cattle rustling, only he survives. From here you have a plot that Anthony Mann or Sergio Leone would have made into a masterpiece.

Instead, what you get is a slow meandering film that fixates on and preaches about law & order, the dangers of vigilantism, etc. These kinds of plots were commonplace in virtually every western TV show from the 1950s and 60s. Hang 'Em High offers nothing new to a discussion that was already old by the time the film came out. Although I came into the movie predisposed to root for Clint, after awhile his character's lack of motivation at wanting revenge made me wish the lynch mob had done a better job and spared us an unfulfilling two hours.

Like I said I first saw it in the 90s and was disappointed. I just recently rewatched it for the first time since then, hoping to see it with fresh eyes and enjoy it more. But I found myself feeling the same sense of disappointment and boredom I did all those years ago. As a western drama it's watchable and competently put together. As a western action revenge movie it's weak and should be avoided.

Deserves got nothin' to do with it...

[catch22000 · 7 January 2004]

This was Clint Eastwood's American Western debut that I had never really seen all the way through until now. At first I thought it would be another ride 'em high, cowboys n' indians flick that was popular in America those days... before Sergio Leone shook the genre down to its raw and merciless possibilities.

The film was pretty good, and the moral undercurrent of justice "by a dirty rope on the plain, or a judge in a robe standing before the American flag" is rather striking. The Federal judge is by far one of the most interesting characters I have seen yet in a Western.

Indeed, the grittiest and most barbaric scene is not the lynching of an innocent man, but the public hanging on the eve of statehood... to prove that Oklahoma Territory executed the sort of justice required of a "civilized" state of the Union. It is made a public spectacle with beautiful hymns and cold beer. And just the way each of the condemned faces his execution is tongue in cheek.

Then there was the campfire scene where Captain Wilson confers with his employees regarding their options: irony, fear and desperation. They put a human face on their culpability, similiarly echoed decades later by Little Bill's "I don't deserve this, I was building house." And the few who chose not to run chose a desperate and violent option.

A dillemic "no one wins" justice spiralling into graphic violence... and ultimately an undiginified and graceless death. What was perfected into poignant brevity by Unforgiven was born in Hang Em High's exploration of two men's differing approaches to an unforgiving justice... a justice that led either to the end of a noose, or the end of a gun.

Not bad at all...

Good Eastwood Western!

[GeorgiaDixie · 6/10 · 8 November 2018]

A well-acted well-written Eastwood western, his first American-made Western. While not a big fan of most of his westerns this Eastwood western is different and has the feeling of one from the classic Western-era of the 40s, 50s, or early 60s, evoking John Ford/John Wayne. Very entertaining with good character actors that fans of westerns will immediately recognize. In fact, I believe that this is my second favorite western of Eastwood (next to the classic The Outlaw Josey Wales)!

American-made Spaghetti western in which Clint Eastwood sets out to avenge on the men who formed a lynch mob

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 24 September 2018]

A cowboy (Eastwood in his first American movie after Sergio period) ) is saved from lynching and vows vengeance and to hunt down the band that nearly murdered him . They left him with a scar on his neck and his seeks vendetta on the nine men (Ed Begley , LQ Jones , Bruce Dern, Alan Hale..) men who constituted the lynching gang . Now The Man With No Name is back! . As he is rescued by Marshal Dave Bliss (Ben Johnson) and brought to Fort Smith to the court of Judge Adam Fenton (Pat Hingle) . Appointed as a Deputy , Clint pursues his particular justice at whatever means , including his extreme obsession for revenge . The hanging was the best show in town. But they made two mistakes. They hung the wrong man and they didn't finish the job. As Eastwood is Judge, Jury and Executioner.

This is Clint first starring character in American Western dealing with a lawman/vigilante scenario, and following his sensational success in Italy with Leone Westerns : A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly . This is a good film , if uneven , with a lot of action , violence , shootouts and it contains a long as well as eerie hanging of six convicts . Being sometimes quite as violent as its Spaghetti counterparts . But it is more deserving of serious consideration than past times . The flick anticipates the thorny issue about the dichotomy between natural and legal justice . Clint Eastwood gives his ordinary acting as the tough cowboy saved by chance after being summarily strung up as a presumed rustler and left to die . This is a typical Eastwood vehicle and is said to have filmed some of it himself . The movie is more interesting as a way station in Clint career than for anything intrinsic to its Spaghetti style . Awesome , magnificent support cast , such as : Inger Stevens ,Ned Romero , L.Q. Jones , Alan Hale Jr , Ben Johnson , James MacArthur , Bob Steele ,James Westerfield , Mark Lenard , Bert Freed , Ruth White , among others . and Co-stars Charles McGraw, Ed Begley, Bruce Dern and Pat Hingle had all appeared in "Rawhide" episodes directed by Ted Post .

Colorful and burnished color cinematography from Leonard South and Richard H Kline . Special mention for musical score by Dominic Frontiere , it is a catching , moving soundtrack in Spaghetti style . Well made by his own production Company : Malpaso , with an old ¨Rawhide¨filmmaker on board , Ted Post . United Artists executives suggested experienced action film directors like John Sturges and Robert Aldrich, but Clint Eastwood gave the director's reins to Ted Post, who had directed twenty-four episodes of Rawhide (1959) and was very good at dialogue. In the mid- to late 1940s, Post made a name for himself in the theater and then moved into the adventurous arena of early television. He has since directed numerous segments of TV's top series : Gunsmoke (1955), Perry Mason (1957), Twilight zone (1959), Baretta (1975) , "Columbo," many more and feature films ranging from this one : Clint Eastwood's Hang'em high (1968) and Magnum Force (1973) to Retun to Planet of Apes (1970) .He's a Western expert , in fact his best movie is still a Western called ¨The legend of Tom Rooley¨ . Besides , he directed Clint Eastwood many times , starting working on Eastwood's television Western series, ¨Rawhide¨. When Eastwood returned to America after his successful Sergio Leone movies , he called for Post who directed him in Western ¨Hang'Em high¨ and the second entry Dirty Harry pictures : ¨Magnum Force¨. Ted Post also directed notable Sci Fi : Beneath of the planet of apes , Harrard experiment and horror movies : The Baby , Dr Cook's garden . And , finally , Ted Post returning to his theater roots .

Great Opening Then All Downhill

[aylwardpaul · 6/10 · 20 August 2022]

This, along with High Plains Drifter, has got to be the weakest of the Clint Eastwood westerns.

The opening sequence is terrific, but thereafter it becomes very average.

The film is very episodic, and just not exciting enough

The shootouts are uninspiring, the bulk of the film appears to be shot on standard studio backlots, and it doesn't have that gritty feel of authenticity.

Watch the first 20 mins then move on to something better.

Seeking Vengeance by the law

[noodles-13 · 8/10 · 4 December 2000]

A rather unusual western movie for its period, with interesting ideas on the practice of justice and death punishment, not consistent with the myth of the frontier as always portraited in such kind of cinema. Even though Eastwood only appears as an actor, a good preview of what was about to happen in his career as a director, with The outlaw Josey Wales and, above all, The unforgiven. Rated 7.

They Committed Three Mistakes...

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 22 December 2008]

While crossing a river with his cattle, the former marshal Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is surrounded by nine men and accused of killing the rancher that owned the cattle. They leave Cooper hanging on a tree, but he is rescued by Marshal Dave Bliss (Ben Johnson) and brought to Fort Smith to the court of Judge Adam Fenton (Pat Hingle). His innocence is proved and Judge Fenton invites Copper to the position of deputy marshal to help him to implement the law in the large area. Cooper accepts the position and chases the vigilantes with the warrants of Judge Fenton. Meanwhile the leader of the lynchers, Captain Wilson (Ed Begley), realizes that they have committed three mistakes: they returned the money Jed Cooper had paid for the cattle expecting to get rid off him; they hung an innocent man; and they did not complete their task.

"Hang' Em High" is a different western disclosing a period when law and justice were in the beginning of implementation in the Wild West. The characters performed by Clint Eastwood and Pat Hingle have an interesting duel, with Marshal Jed Cooper following the traditional procedure of justice by his own hands, while Judge Fenton is concerned in introducing law and order to a wild place. The result is a good Western, but inferior to Sergio Leone's trilogy. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Marca da Forca" ("The Mark of the Hanging")

"When you hang a man, you better look at him."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 10 November 2005]

Clint Eastwood excels as Marshal Jed Cooper in "Hang 'Em High", the justice and revenge tale from writers Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg and directed by Ted Post. He's surrounded by a stellar cast, though most of them are in the hanging party that almost does him in during the film's opening scene. Particularly seamy looking is Bruce Dern; it's a mark of a good actor when his performance makes you want to see him get what's coming to him.

For those who've seen it, the story is well known, so I won't concern myself with the basic plot. What I found rather fascinating was the subtext provided by Pat Hingle's character, territorial Federal Judge Fenton. Deputizing Cooper, we see a solid moral individual who fairly demands that Cooper bring back his attackers alive to face a judge and jury. But this hanging judge has his own agenda, and in his vision of statehood for the Oklahoma Territory, he's not above creating a bit of a spectacle in the name of civilized justice. When Cooper gets sidetracked from his original mission to bring in the killer of a cattle rancher, his path crosses with Dern's character Miller, along with two young boys along for the ride. Though admitting to rustling, Cooper knows the boys are innocent of murder, especially when they don't help Miller take down Cooper while being brought in to Fort Grant. On the witness stand, Cooper is continually shut down by the judge as he tries to defend the boys. Legally they're guilty of rustling, punishable by death and they'll hang.

Credit writers Freeman and Goldberg for an unusual and surreal scene in which six condemned men are about to hang. The camera glances on shadows of dangling feet that portend the actual hanging, as a crowd forms on a bright Sunday morning to witness death. They wear their Sunday best, as a vendor hawks cold beer as if it were a sporting event. As the judge nods his assent and the gallows claim their toll, three members of the Cooper hanging party attempt to gun him down before they themselves fall victim to the hunt - incredible timing and imagery as Eastwood's character falls in a hail of bullets.

Inger Stevens appears as a nominal love interest for Marshal Cooper, in a romance virtually doomed from the start, as each are battling their own personal demons. Though there's a hint of their settling down together near the end of the movie, it's pretty much left up to the imagination of the viewer if that would ever actually happen.

The actual ending is also an innovative piece of work. When Cooper was strung up and left for dead at the beginning of the movie, there were nine members of the hanging party. By story's end, seven had been accounted for, with six of them dead. Two members of the group, by name of Maddow and Charlie Blackfoot, decided to head out of town to avoid capture and trial. With his mission incomplete, Cooper picks up the badge once more and heads out on the trail to bring them in. Odds are he'll get his men, but we don't get to see it.

Power start, not so simple revenge plot

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 7 September 2013]

The movie starts with Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) being hung by neck after a group of vigilantes found him guilty of cattle rustling and murder. He barely survives. Then he returns to his former profession as a law man to bring the vigilantes to justice. It is probably one of the most exciting start to a movie to put the lead in danger almost immediately.

The system is a one-man judge and jury system over a vast area. The judge clears Jed of all crimes, and wants the vigilantes captured. Marshall Jed Cooper is much more a law and order man than his usual anti-hero characters. It's definitely a deeper western based on some real situations.

Very Good, Tough And Atmospheric Eastwood Western

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 6 March 2007]

Ted Post's "Hang 'Em High" Of 1968 is a tough and atmospheric Western, and Clint Eastwood's first Western after Sergio Leone's ingenious Dollar-trilogy, which had made him famous, and although "Hang 'Em High" can in no way reach the brilliance of the Dollar-trilogy, it must be said that it is a great film which no Clint Eastwood fan should miss.

I personally am a big fan of Clint Eastwood, especially for the Dollar-trilogy, "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" being my favorite movie of all-time. I'm a Western fan in general, and I usually prefer Spaghetti Westerns to the American ones. Quite a bunch the American Westerns of the late 60s and early 70s took their influence from the success of the Italian Western, and "Hang 'Em High" certainly has some Spaghetti Western elements too. It is still obvious, that this is an American Western, however, Clint Eastwood's character of Marshall Jed Cooper is not an antihero with a sense of black humor such as The Man With No Name from the Dollar-trilogy was, but a tough man driven by the desire for justice.

Jed Cooper (Eastwood) is lynched by a group of nine men for a murder he did not commit. Left hanging on a tree for dead, he is discovered by a Marshall, who cuts the noose and saves his life. The Marshall brings him to the town of Fort Grant, where the strict but idealistic Judge Adam Fenton (Pat Hingle) is to dispense justice for a huge area. After his innocence is proved, the former lawman Cooper is employed as a Marshall by judge Fenton, and he is now out to bring his own lynchers to justice. Lynchers who (as the tagline says) made two mistakes: They hung the wrong man and they didn't finish the job...

Clint Eastwood is great as always and he fits perfectly into his role of Marshall Jed Cooper. Pat Hingle delivers a great performance as Judge Adam Fenton (a role that is based on real life 'hanging-judge' Isaac Parker, as anyone who has read a bit about the American Old West will soon realize). Beautiful Inger Stevens is also very good, and lovable in the female lead. Ed Begley is great as the head lyncher. The cast furthermore contains Bruce Dern, Alan Hale Jr., LQ Jones and Dennis Hopper in a tiny, but good role. I also thought that Bert Freed did a great job as the hangman. Hwe probably didn't say a lot, but the way he looked and moved was just what his role demanded.

The movie's score is pretty good, and fits into the movie perfectly, although it is obvious from the beginning to the end that they just wanted it to resemble Ennio Moricone's ingenious Dollar-trilogy scores. One of the main themes was actually just taken out of "For A Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", and modified a little bit. I guess it's okay to try and copy the best, however, and the score certainly compliments the movie. "Hang 'Em High" is also very well photographed and atmospheric from the beginning to the end. There was a big resemblance to Sergio Corbucci's Spaghetti Western Masterpiece "Il Grande Silenzio" aka. "The Great Silence" from the same year in one scene, which I won't give away, watch both movies and you'll know what I mean.

All said, "Hang 'Em High" is a great Western, which Clint Eastwood fans can't afford to miss. Highly recommended. 8/10

American Pasta

[inspectors71 · 6/10 · 18 May 2016]

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 big-haired widow with a broken 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.

Starts out with promise.

[piasa84047 · 5/10 · 31 January 2004]

When Clint is wrongly accused, judged, and lynched, only to survive and set out to even the score, this film seems to be one of the best westerns ever made. It quickly bogs down with a terrible romantic subplot and the main storyline takes too many detours that lead nowhere. Some big name talent (Ben Johnson, James MacArthur, Dennis Hopper) gets top billing and are on and off screen so fast that their brief appearances leave you wondering why they even made the movie. The film drags on for two hours and in the end nothing is resolved. The romantic subplot then seems forced, and the way the film actually ends may leave you wondering why you just spent two hours watching it. It wouldn't have been so disappointing had the first half of the film not been so well executed as though it was leading up to something instead of nothing. 5 of 10