Hanging Them High

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, and King Koopa himself as a crazy guy
Written by: Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg
Directed by: Ted Post

We interrupt the Demise of Film to bring another movie that RJ liked.

Yes, I've been making a lot of these lately. As I've said, I feel that the market I tried to cover back in 2011-2012 has been done to death by YouTubers with platforms bigger than mine. Plus, film is completely dead as far as I'm concerned. 97% of new releases are remakes, requels, or comic book movies. Even if they're not, they're pushing some sort of political agenda. Claims of the only people who don't like movies are online trolls or bigots. Yawn.

I might as well discuss a movie that I actually like, right? Hang 'em High tells the story of Clint Eastwood being wrongfully hanged for the murder of an old couple. His life is spared by a passing Marshall, who brings Clint to jail to be tried. The judge finds Clint not guilty and offers him a job as a Marshall in the territory of Oklahoma. Clint uses his power as Marshall to go on a hunt for the nine men who hanged him.

What I like about Hang 'em High is it feels like a hybrid Western. It has the look and feel of a classic John Ford Western but also the grittiness prevalent in the Italian Westerns at the time (this was only two years after Django).

The other thing I like about Hang 'em High is the subtle undertones. Yes, Clint Eastwood is on a revenge trip, but he's not in control. The State still controls him and he's really just a puppet. Something about the idea that a man believes he's getting revenge but is really just enacting the will of a devious mastermind feels a bit unnerving.

Hang 'em High might not be my favorite Western, but it's one that I highly recommend people check out.