History YMMV / HighNoon

** While the peoples' refusal to help Kane is contemptuous and cowardly, nowadays the refusal to get in a fight is seen in a more charitable view. After all, Miller is gunning for Kane and no one else. The only really villainous character is Pell, who tries to run Kane out so that Miller will leave the town and go for him instead.
** Amy's standing against her husband Will's defiance only because she's seen the effects of violence first-hand, having lost her father and brother in shootouts. While the film marks her has wrong in favour of taking a stand against villains, It's hard not to understand and sympathize with her actions.

** While the peoples' refusal to help Kane is contemptuous and cowardly, nowadays the refusal to get in a fight is seen in a more charitable view. After all, Miller is gunning for Kane and no one else. The only really villainous character is Pell, who tries to run Kane out so that Miller will leave the town and go for him instead.
** It could be argued Kane needlessly endangered the town by staying. He technically had already resigned as marshal, so he had no actual authority, and he could have set up a confrontation with Miller away from town.
*** Then again, it cannot be known whether Miller's gang will still sack the town anyway or not just to spite Kane. Granted, a number of people like the gang, but they are not everyone, are they?

* AwardSnub: This film losing the Best Picture [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] to Creator/CecilBDeMille's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' is regarded by many as one of the more egregious examples in Hollywood history. Many blamed it on the Academy not wanting to vote for it out of fear of coming under fire by the HUAC.[[note]]Though to be fair, [[ConsolationPrize a desire to give DeMille an overdue Oscar]] might have also played a role, as there were several other films like ''Film/TheQuietMan'' and ''Film/{{Ivanhoe}}'' that would have been more deserving if the Academy only cared about avoiding controversy.[[/note]]

* AwardSnub: This film losing the Best Picture [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] to Creator/CecilBDeMille's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' is regarded by many as one of the more egregious examples in Hollywood history. Many blamed it on the Academy not wanting to vote for it out of fear of coming under fire by the HUAC.[[note]]Though to be fair, a desire to give DeMille an Oscar might have also played a role, as there were several other films like ''Film/TheQuietMan'' and ''Film/{{Ivanhoe}}'' that would have been more deserving if the Academy only cared about avoiding controversy.[[/note]]

* AwardSnub: This film losing the Best Picture [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] to Creator/CecilBDeMille's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' is regarded by many as one of the more egregious examples in Hollywood history. Many blamed it on the Academy not wanting to vote for it out of fear of coming under fire by the HUAC.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Helen Ramírez, not only for being a Mexican character in a mostly-American cast, but also for her strong personality, and relationship with the main hero, and being the OnlySaneWoman within the careless townsfolk.

** Kane tries to recruit [[Series/{{Mash}} Colonel Potter]]. Not to mention [[Film/TheWolfMan1941 Lawrence Talbot]]. Hopefully the outlaws weren't packing silver bullets.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Helen Ramírez, not only for being a Mexican actor in a mostly-American cast, but also for her strong personality, and relationship with the main hero, and being the OnlySaneWoman within the careless townsfolk.

** While the peoples' refusal to help Kane is contemptuous and cowardly, nowadays the refusal to get in a fight is seen in a more charitable view. After all, Miller is gunning for Kane and noone else. The only really villainous character is Pell, who tries to run Kane out so that Miller will leave the town and go for him instead.

** While the peoples' refusal to help Kane is contemptuous and cowardly, nowadays the refusal to get in a fight is seen in a more charitable view. After all, Miller is gunning for Kane and noone else. The only really villainous character is Pell, who tries to run Kaneout so that Miller will leave the town and go for him instead.

** Lloyd Bridges has a small part as one of Kane's ex-deputies and went on to a major film career.

** And [[{{Film/Airplane}} McCrosky is one of Kane's ex-deputies]].

** [[Film/TheCannonballRun Dr. Van Helsing]] is a drunk sleeping in a jail cell.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The legendary main theme, "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling".
* FunnyMoments: The film is light on humor but it does have a few funny moments.

** [[Film/TheCannonballRun Dr. Van Helsing]] is a drunk in a jail cell.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Since we never really learn the history between Kane and Miller, and Miller is a VillainWithGoodPublicity in the town, some viewers come away from this movie with the impression that Kane really did send Miller to prison for unjust reasons, muddying which one of them is "in the right" during the events of the film.
* AwardSnub: This film losing the Best Picture Oscar to Creator/CecilBDeMille's ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' is regarded by many as one of the more egregious examples in Hollywood history. Many blamed it on the Academy not wanting to vote for it out of fear of coming under fire by the HUAC.

* HilariousInHindsight: Nowadays, viewers can get a chuckle over the omnimous threat that is Creator/FrankMiller. Especially the theme song mentioning him by name and saying he'll be shot dead.

* TearJerker: Kane's last deputy, Herb Baker, visits Kane in his office, asking about the posse that Kane was going to gather. Herb realizes it's just the two of them against Miller's four-man gang and makes an excuse to back out of the fight: "What about my wife and kids"? Kane sends him off, and once Herb is gone, he buries his head in his harms and finds himself on the verge of tears.

* HilariousInHindsight: Nowadays, viewers can get a chuckle over the omnimous threat that is Creator/FrankMiller.

* TearJerker: Kane tries to recruit Herb Henderson for a deputy, but Herb had thought there would be other men joining him. The last of the potential deputies in the town, Herb says, "What about my wife and kids"? Kane sends him off, and once Herb is gone, he buries his head in his harms and finds himself on the verge of tears.

* StoicWoobie: Kane. He doesn't express his feelings much, and talks and acts in a very calm and collected manner, but the townspeople mistrust and reject him, and even if she doesn't want him to get killed, even his wife seems to desert him. By the time Miller and his gang arrive, he's completely alone.