HIGH NOON
US, 2009, 90 minutes, Colour.
Emily de Ravin, Ivan Sergei, Brian Markinson, Cybill Shepherd.
Directed by Peter Markle.
High Noon is not the Gary cooper classic western. Nor its 2000 remake. This is a police drama based on a novel by Nora Roberts (Carnal Innocence, Montana Sky, Carolina Moon…). Roberts is a very popular author, but the film versions of her novels, generally made for television, are easy popular entertainment at best, soap opera most of the time.
This is a film about a hostage negotiatior played by Emily De Ravin. She is a single mother, with a small daughter and a mother (Cybill Shepherd), who suffers from agoraphobia. There are several sequences where she uses her wits to prevent suicides or hostage killings.
Ivan Sergei plays a successful businessman who falls in love with her.
An old case comes back to haunt her, the vengeful lover of a victim who bled to death, who attacks her home, threatens her family, sets up deadly situations … which seem far-fetched but are entertaining enough while on screen, in an undemanding way.
1. An adaptation of a Nora Roberts novel? Popular style? Soap-opera style?
2. The Baltimore settings, the city, the police, homes, stores, bars? Ordinary? And the crime world?
3. Suicide prevention task forces? Hostage situation experts? The suicide attempts, the sieges? The methods, especially from Phoebe?
4. The portrait of the police, officers, work on site, briefings, the gender clash? Meeks and his questions in the briefing, his behavior on the scene, his disloyalty, exercising violence, the inquiry, his merely being warned? The police teams? For the sieges, the rules, writing the reports? The contact with the person holding people to ransom?
5. The opening attempted suicide, Phoebe’s arrival, young, female, casual, talking with the man, offering the beer, drinking with him, discussions, agreeing with his attitudes, asking important questions? The snipers ready? His coming down?
6. The introduction to Duncan, the attempted suicide’s boss, the debt of $5000? Meeting Phoebe, his return, the invitation to the drink, dinner, the hitting it off? Her daughter? Love for her, the domestic scenes? Her mother, agoraphobia? Helping in the house? Duncan as pleasant, offering a refuge after the attack? The bond between them? Duncan’s family vetting Phoebe? The sexual relationship? The visit to the cemetery, Duncan’s car and the bomb? The family going to the store, to buy the ring, as hostages? The happy ending?
7. Phoebe, her relationship with her daughter, with her mother? Liz as a good friend work, support? David, as the boss, his consideration? The reaction to Meeks? The secretary talking with her, holding her, on the staircase, attacked? The effect of Duncan and her liking him? The cemetery, further information about the perpetrator?
8. David as a boss, wise, concerned, the investigation into Meeks, his attack, the bomb going off at his door, his identifying the picture of the former policeman?
9. The episode of the siege, the young man, African American, his brother and the murder attempts, in hospital, the mother coming to the siege? The hostages, including Duncan’s family? The young man being shot?
10. The killer, the information, the investigations revealing his identity, his presence at the former siege, the woman bleeding to death? The background story of the woman, the affair, the money and Phoebe’s role? His getting the information to Phoebe, the going to the house with all the photos? Working out with him then? The siege, his talking, the phone calls, his motivations? Phoebe and her using the record book as the diary, the quotes, the effect on the killer, his being shot?
11. The background of High Noon, knowing the film and not knowing it? Humming the tune? The killer taking the name of Cooper?
12. The happy ending? The future?
