Ian MacDonald

High Noon -- A marshall, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him.

A judge teeters on the brink of insanity... a town on the edge of revolt. And only one man stands between them in this powerful western featuring two of Hollywood's greatest leading men. Glenn Ford delivers a mesmerizing performance as Owen Devereaux, a sadistic Civil War vet who continues to kill for the joy of it even after he becomes a judge. William Holden is outstanding as Del Stewart, Devereaux's marshal and ex-army pal who tries to restrain the judge's violent nature. When Devereaux's psychotic behavior forces the townspeople to take up arms against him, the former friends are pitted together against each other in a brutal conflict with fatal consequences. The suspense never falters in acclaimed director Henry Levin's tightly woven tale which delves into the devastating psychological effects of war.

Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this remarkable war film, nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture) about courageous American G.I.s caught up in the battle at Bastogne.

Bogey's on the lam and Bacall's at his side in Dark Passage, Delmer Daves' stylish film-noir thriller that's the third of four films Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made together. Bogart is Vincent Parry, a prison escapee framed for murder who emerges from plastic surgery with a new face. Bacall is Irene Jansen, Vincent's lone ally. In a supporting role, Agnes Moorehead portrays Madge, a venomous harpy who finds pleasure in the unhappiness of others. The chemistry of the leads is undeniable, and they augment it here with exceptional tenderness. Exceptional, too, are the atmospheric San Francisco locations and the imaginative camera work that shows Vincent's point of view - but not his face - until the bandages are removed. Lest Irene get ideas, the post-surgery Vincent tells her: "Don't change yours. I like it just as it is." So do we.

Based on the popular novel for young adults by Frank Sacks, this heart-warming drama concerns Billy Hastings (Kevin Zegers), an 11-year-old boy whose life is shattered after his leg is permanently damaged by a drunk driver. Billy and his mother Julie (Anne Archer) move to a new town in hopes of escaping the bad memories of the accident. Not long after they arrive, they visit a threadbare circus, where they discover a neglected horse. Feeling sorry for the animal, they arrange to take it home, only to discover that the horse is pregnant. That's the least of their surprises, though; the horse shortly gives birth to a unicorn, which appears to have magical powers.

The mining town of Warlock hires a gunfighter named Clay (Henry Fonda) and his sidekick (Anthony Quinn) to clean up the streets and restore order, but the townsfolk have second thoughts about Clay's brutal methods. When a former outlaw (Richard Widmark) becomes sheriff, a showdown with Clay can't be far off. Dorothy Malone, Dolores Michaels, Tom Drake and Richard Arlen co-star. Edward Dmytryk directs.

Rebellious prodigal son Johnny Shattuck (Ben Cooper) returns to the family ranch, where he's immediately met with a crisis: Rival rancher Dean Cannary (Jim Davis) has designs on the farm, and he's cut off its water supply to force the family to leave. When peaceful attempts at resolution get them nowhere, Johnny is forced to take up arms and confront Cannary in a showdown. Cannary stages an ambush, but Johnny's got an ace up his sleeve.

Kate Masters (Peggie Castle) is a well-known female trick-shot artist whose nationwide tour brings her to a small Western town. But her real motive for stopping there is to use her sharpshooting skills on the man who murdered her mother when she was a child. Because he's a member of the Iver family, which controls the town, Masters's target is tough to reach -- but she finds assistance in the form of a dashing U.S. Marshal (William Talman).

Could nightclub singer Ilona Vance (Vera Ralston) really have committed murder? Det. Roy Hargis (David Brian) sure hopes not -- because he's falling for the gorgeous gal. But when the main suspect, Stan "Scarface" Wilbo (Warren Stevens), is cleared, all eyes are on Ilona. Joseph Kane directs this gangster mystery; Virginia Grey plays Sandra, the dance hall girl who tries to blackmail Stan but pays a steep price.

When Mexican bandits hold up a stagecoach and find there's no gold on board, they keep the passengers hostage until the next coach arrives. As they all wait nervously, cavalry officer Frank Townsend (Forrest Tucker) organizes his fellow captives against the outlaws. The tension of the situation forces each passenger's true nature to the surface, as revealed in flashbacks. William F. Claxton ("Bonanza," "Little House on the Prairie") directs.

One of Geronimo's subchiefs, Massai, is the only Apache who refuses to surrender after Geronimo's death, and conducts a one-man war against the white man for his tribe's rights…battling for the West with knife, arrow and gun. Based on the novel "Bronco Apache" by Paul I. Wellman.

One of Geronimo's subchiefs, Massai, is the only Apache who refuses to surrender after Geronimo's death, and conducts a one-man war against the white man for his tribe's rights...battling for the West with knife, arrow and gun. Based on the novel "Bronco Apache" by Paul I. Wellman.