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Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Ed Begley Sr., Pat Hingle, Arlene Golonka ... see more see more... , Ben Johnson , Tod Andrews , Richard Angarola , Larry J. Blake , Barry Cahill , Bruce Dern , Hal England , Bert Freed , Jack Ging , Roy E. Glenn Sr. , Richard Guizon , Robert Earl Jones , Mark Lenard , Jonathan Lippe , James MacArthur , Charles McGraw , Ned Romero , Joseph Sirola , Paul Sorenson , Bob Steele , Ted Thorpe , Russell Thorson , James Westerfield , Ruth White , Robert B. Williams , Bill Zuckert , Alan Hale Jr. , Dennis Hopper , L.Q. Jones , Michael O'Sullivan , Bruce Scott , John Wesley , Dennis Dengate , Rick Gates , Herb Ellis

Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having sto... read more read more...len the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck and leave him for dead, but they don't do the job right. Cooper is dangling there, barely alive, a few minutes later when Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down. He survives the next few days in Bliss' tumbleweed wagon with the other prisoners, and is later cleared of any wrongdoing and released by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), just in time to witness the hanging of the man who really murdered the owner of the cattle and took Cooper's money. Cooper still wants revenge on the nine men who tried to hang him, but Fenton insists that he leave the bringing of them to justice to his deputy marshals. As it happens, Fenton is in desperate need of deputy marshals for the territory that he oversees, and he also knows that Cooper was a good lawman. Cooper, in turn, is now broke and in need of a job, and does want to see justice done. They strike an uneasy bargain, Cooper agreeing to wear a badge and bring in the men he's looking for -- alive -- for trial. The latter proves easier said than done, however, when the first of them that he spots tries to draw on him when he makes the arrest. One of the hanging party, Jenkins (Bob Steele), soon turns himself in and provides the names of the others. Cooper takes Stone (Alan Hale Jr.) alive, but the hapless blacksmith is later shot by the local sheriff (Charles McGraw) while trying to escape. The other men, led by Wilson, have no intention of dying, or even being brought to trial, without a fight. Two of them go on the run out of the territory, while Wilson and two of the others decide to take the law into their own hands once again. Meanwhile, Cooper becomes a hero when he single-handedly brings back a trio of rustlers who are also guilty of murder. This leads to Cooper's first confrontation with Judge Fenton, who, in a gripping scene, explains why it is essential that he be as seemingly quick to hang a man as he is. Unless the people are convinced that the law will do its job -- including hanging men who deserve it -- they will keep taking the law into their own hands and there will be more lynch mobs like the one that tried to kill Cooper. In the course of his quest for justice, Cooper also makes the acquaintance of Rachel (Inger Stevens), a young woman with her own search for justice, haunted by her own ghosts, and the two of them are drawn together, no more so than when Wilson and two of the others try to gun Cooper down in cold blood. The final confrontation between Cooper and Wilson escalates in violence to its savage, irony-laced conclusion. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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71% liked it

31,248 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

13 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Ted Post

Release Date: July 31, 1968

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DVD Release Date: June 19, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (912)

  • SajinPA
    June 18, 2011
    SajinPA
    A group of nine men make the mistake of hanging an innocent man without a proper trial. With the man on the rope being Mr.Clint Eastwood, they made an even BIGGER mistake of not making sure he's dead. Rescue arrives shortly and the fate of those men have been written already by t... read morehen.

    This is more like a toned down version of the Sergio Leone spaghettis. It does pose some serious questions about the morality of Capital Punishment, but in terms of entertainment, it gets nowhere near to Leone's Dollar Trilogy.
  • ythelastman89
    December 5, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A near perfect western. It's an old fashioned morality tale that only Clint Eastwood could bring to life. The fact that he survives a hanging and a Robocop style shooting and then hunts down his captors is enough to gain the support of any audience member. I really like that it's... read more about the politics of the time and not just a revenge story set in the west. The corrupt nature of the courts is extremely fascinating and an important message. The greatest aspect is the incredibly bizarre style, it almost has a b-movie horror feel to it. The music, shooting style and acting is all great. Ted Post has a great eye for capturing a certain look for his movies and this is no exception.
  • BEACHBUNNI
    July 2, 2010
    BEACHBUNNI
    A man seeks revenge on the vigilante mob that attempted to hang him for a crime he didn't commit. this movie is classic clint eastwood with all the attendant violence, gunplay and side romance his fans expect of their movie hero.
  • mjgildea
    April 15, 2010
    mjgildea
    Hang 'em High is such a disappointing pile of crap. (And I'm fairly certain I watched this divorced from the fact The Good, the Bad and the Ugly came out a year prior and anything Eastwood would've followed that up with would be nowhere nearly as good.) Admittedly, it's not the w... read moreorst movie I've ever seen but it's boring, the pacing is yawn-inducing and it's downright unengaging. It comes off like a revenge flick that's got all the potential to be great but turns as dull as Inger Stevens' performance. Fast. I got excited to see Dennis Hopper in the opening credits but he's got -2 minutes of screen time. The rest of the supporting cast is alright (Pat Hingle as Eastwood's handler and Bruce Dern in his signature dick role) but I really had to force myself through the last hour and 45 minutes to make it through.
  • SirPant
    March 5, 2010
    SirPant
    There is nothing like a good western and this is a good western. Clint Eastwood, is much the same as he is in all his other old west movies, brilliant. Love this film, it's bloody brilliant. Didn't care too much for the ending mind but it's a little more intelligent than your ave... read morerage cowboy flick!
  • flixsterman
    December 5, 2009
    flixsterman
    A good old fashioned western where vigilante justice goes awry by hanging the wrong man (see also: The Ox-Bow Incident), and Bruce Dern is an unlikable a-hole (see also: The Cowboys, The War Wagon, four episodes of Gunsmoke, five episodes of The Big... read more Valley, etc., etc., etc...).
  • stormyweather980
    August 16, 2009
    stormyweather980
    One of my favorite Eastwood westerns, along with Outlaw Josey Wales. Better than all the Dollars movies to me.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 21, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    quite easily one of the greatest westerns of all time. eastwood was iconic in many westerns but this might be his best, and the story was captivating from the first moment. great dialogue and an epic feel make this a classic not to be missed.
  • garyX
    July 28, 2008
    garyX
    An innocent rancher is strung up by a lynch mob but recovers and becomes a lawman set on tracking down the would-be killers. Made directly after Clint's successful collaborations with Sergio Leone, this is Hollywood's attempt to cash in on his newfound fame. Unfortunately it fall... read mores short of aping the spaghetti western classics thanks to efficient but artless direction and a less than stellar supporting cast. There's a memorable appearance by Dennis Hopper in an early role but his character is all too quickly disposed of, and the film stalls at exactly the wrong moment because of a rather pointless and logic-free romantic interlude. Clint's steely eyed charisma does manage to carry it though, and there are a couple of decent sequences, but the ending felt like a TV pilot and it comes across as exactly what it is; a pale imitation of a Leone western.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 18, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    A decent western with Cline Eastwood looking for the men who tried to hang him. I remember it had the skipper from "Gilligan's Island" as one of the baddies.

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Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
September 6, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Ted Post's direction is especially adroit at keeping the baroque flurries bubbling under the deceptive surface of old-pro craftsmanship Full Review

Chris Cabin
July 16, 2009
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com

Though not high-minded debate, Hang 'Em certainly counts as a solid victory lap Full Review

Andrew L. Urban
May 16, 2009
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile

This is the film that brought Clint Eastwood (and his reefer smoking habit) back from Sergio Leoneland to Hollywood Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 12, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Move over squeaky clean John Wayne, a new darker western hero by the name of Clint Eastwood has arrived to challenge your title as top cowboy star! Full Review

Alex Sandell
September 17, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Not one of Eastwood's best, but still a good film.

February 5, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Cole Smithey
November 15, 2007
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Chuck O'Leary
October 10, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

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Facts

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    • Jed Cooper: [showing his hanging scar] When you hang a man, you better look at him.
  • 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.
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Hang 'em High Trivia

  • what was clint eastwood's first american western  Answer »
  • Which actor starred in these movies: Fist Full of Dollars Hang Em High The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly  Answer »
  • Clint Eastwood is in the movie 'Hang 'Em High'.  Answer »
  • Clint Eastwood was in the movie 'Hang 'Em High'.  Answer »
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