During his post-DollarsTrilogyand pre-Dirty Harryera,Clint Eastwoodstarred inthe revisionist Western drama,Hang ‘Em High. In one of Eastwood’s most underrated films, he portrays a retired lawman, Jed Cooper, who is wrongfully hung for a crime he didn’t commit. The act puts Cooper on a ruthless path of vengeance against the men who tried to kill him. However, during Cooper’s macabre pursuit of vengeance,he fails to find any peace or solace. It’s time to take a deeper look at one of Eastwood’s best films that would set the tone for his more renowned and celebrated entries in the Western genre.
Jed Cooper Initially Seeks Revenge Against Those Who Wronged Him
The story follows Eastwood as Jed Cooper. Before the credits even roll, Copper is cornered by a posse and wrongfully framed for killing a rancher, a crime Cooper did not commit. Cooper is subsequently robbed and hung by the lynchers led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley). Miraculously, Marshal Dave Bliss (Ben Johnson) rescues Cooper before he’s strangled to death, taking Cooper before the territorial judge at Fort Grant, Adam Fenton (Pat Hingle). Judge Fenton concludes that Cooper’s story is genuine, and Cooper accepts a position as a marshal for Judge Fenton sohe can find the men who hanged him and bring them to justice.
Throughout the film, Cooper seeks justice against his past aggressors, some of whom are respected citizens. Cooper then comes across two teenage brothers who took part in cattle rustling while working with one of the lynchers who hanged him earlier, Miller (Bruce Dern). Cooper takes pity on them and pleads for the young Billy Joe (Bruce Scott) and Ben (Rick Gates) not to be tried for murder, but Judge Fenton refuses and wants to showcase them as examples of criminals. The two young men are later brutally executed by the noose,mirroring Cooper’s near-death at the beginning.
Clint Eastwood Was Right When He Suggested That This Western Should’ve Been His Last
He just couldn’t resist.
‘Hang ‘Em High’ Works as an Exceptional Anti-Revenge Story
The contemplative approach inHang ‘Em Highcritiques the type of frontier and Western justice typically glorified bythe Western genre. The fates of the young brothers are depicted as tragedy. Cooper later recognizes that his path for vengeance is wrong and attempts to correct his ways. However, those endeavors are stopped when Judge Fenton informs Cooper of the location of Captain Wilson and the other lynchers who hanged him. In the film’s climax, Captain Wilson hangs himself rather than being taken before Judge Grant. Cooper finds no comfort in his path for revenge, even though he was wronged. Ultimately, Cooper recognizes that the path to revenge is poisonous. A Western movie depicting the horrors of vengeance and violence serves as a stark contrast to the early linchpins of the genre.Hang ‘Em Hightakes a more critical eye on the hallmarks of the Western genresand represents a groundbreaking shift in the way Western films can be told.
‘Hang ‘Em High’ Serves as a Prototype for Eastwood’s Later Western Features
Western films proved to be a recurring staple throughoutthe next several decades of Eastwood’s career. In many ways,Hang ‘Em Highis the spiritual predecessor to subsequent revisionist Western films starring and directed by Eastwood during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, includingHigh Plains Drifter,The Outlaw Josey Wales,Pale Rider, andUnforgiven. Eastwood’s later western entries became far more acclaimed thanHang ‘Em High, butHang ‘Em Highserved asthe beginning of Eastwood’s run of revisionist Westerns. These are all exceptional films that share qualities of deep introspection regarding popular Western movie tropes and conventions, as well as critical analysis. They also shine a light on the darker side of the American frontier, the Western expansion of civilization, civil rights, the atrocities committed against Native Americans, and women’s rights.
Hang ‘Em Highexplores themes of frontier justice, territorial justice, the death penalty, andthe lack of civil rights for the accused plaintiffs. While Cooper doesn’t agree with the laws of the Oklahoma Territory’s justice system, he agrees to continue working as a marshal for Judge Fenton. Although Cooper dislikes the methods of territorial justice, he takes Fenton’s deal in exchange for a pardon for Jenkins, one of the men who took part in Cooper’s hanging. Cooper takes pity on Jenkins, who is gravely ill, and demonstrates remorse for his role in the hanging. He begrudgingly accepts Judge Fenton’s arrangement untilthe Oklahoma Territory becomes an official state with a legitimate legal system. Cooper seeks the salvation of Jenkins,metaphorically renouncing his quest for revenge, which is a powerful ideal for a cinematic Western protagonist.
Eastwood would explore similar themes as a Western protagonist once again in 1992’sUnforgiven, which earned him the trifecta of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the Academy Awards. The thread of Eastwood asa Western protagonistwho feels introspective about his path and regrets his actions began withHang ‘Em High. In many ways,Hang ‘Em Highwalked so movies likeUnforgivencould run.
Hang ‘Em High
When an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.
Hang ‘Em Highis currently available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.
