AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 67


Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films.

Martin Howe: You risk your skin catching killers and the juries turn them loose so they can come back and shoot at you again. If you're honest you're poor your whole life and in the end you wind up dying all alone on some dirty street. For what? For nothing. For a tin star.

High Noon (1952)
Original List Position: 33
Starring: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Harry Morgan
Director: Fred Zinnemann
About: This is a classic western. Cooper is great in the lead role and I love the way the tension builds through the story here. This is a film that's well regarded as a classic and has been for years. It was No. 33 on the original list and jumped up to No. 27 a decade later. When I covered Westerns, this was one that was on my list and one I enjoyed quite a bit. It's a tightly compact film that tells an engaging story and is built around the great lead performance from Cooper. It's worth seeking out if you've not seen it.

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