When Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is walking along minding his own business when he is stopped by a group of men who accuse him of cattle-rustling. Despite Cooper's protests of innocence, the men decide that he is guilty and sentence him to death by hanging (albeit a private and unsanctioned hanging). However, Cooper survives this hanging and once his innocence has been proved, Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle) makes Cooper a lawmen and tasks him with the job of bringing all the men back to him alive so that they can be brought to justice.Hang 'Em High is another in a long line of Eastwood westerns and to date this is probably the weakest offering that I've seen. The problem I found with this film is that is that the story just wasn't all that engaging. At close to 2 hours it's far too long and I just found that so many elements of the film seemed to be drawn out for no real reason (the scene involving a group of men being hung about halfway through the film is a case in point). It also wasn't particularly exciting or entertaining and Eastwood is saddled here with a character that has no real character - no one-liners or humorous moments. This all just made the film rather dull. Director Ted Post also showed a lot of close-ups of several cast members which may have been the 'in thing' and I suppose it was intended to create suspense and tension, but looking at it today it looks ridiculous and rather cheesy.Where this film does deserve some praise is in the way that the writers expose some of the flaws in the justice system. Cooper is also a man that finds that his heart is telling him to get revenge on the men that left him for dead, but finds his head and conscience is telling him that they should be brought to justice and let the justice system decide their fate. This is an interesting aspect to the story which sadly for me didn't quite get enough focus.What makes this film slightly more disappointing is the final showdown which lacked any sort of intensity and was very anti-climactic.Taking everything into account, Hang 'Em High is an underwhelming and slightly disappointing film that just isn't as compelling or entertaining as many of Eastwood's other westerns.

An understated, under-rated Clint Eastwood masterpiece. Probably overlooked among Eastwood's westerns because his character is so un- Eastwood-like. Rather than a vigilante, he is the anti-vigilante, out for a fairer form of justice. While Eastwood is still cool, aloof, tough, hard-bitten and unflappable, he also shows a sensitivity which was rare in his earlier movies (but which he shows a lot of in his 90s and 00s directing roles).Solid, fluid directing by Ted Post. The movie doesn't lose focus or drift for a second.As mentioned, Eastwood shows a sensitive side which was probably new to his fans. A great performance. Solid support from Pat Hingle and Inger Stevens.Definitely worth watching.

This is a great western to watch on a cold winter's night....a fast moving story about the attempted lynching of an innocent man with a great well known cast including Clint Eastwood, Pat Hingle, Bruce Dern, Dennis Hopper and even the Skipper from Gillian's Island. Clint is on top of his game here and this was his first American Western after working on Italian Westerns with Sergio Leone. The film is nicely filmed in sharp color and has good character development...believe me there are plenty of characters from the old west in this classy flick. Definitely worth watching.All The Best to IMDb Filmwatchers Tom Wilson, New Jersey, USA (HardToFindMovies)

This is a serious western drama that goes against typical „revenge movie" plot. There is more talk than action . Eastwood is rather an anti-hero than simple hero . During the story his view of the law and justice will change . It gives us a lot of reflection what is wrong and what is right . It's definitely more mature view at crime and punishment than most westerns. The internal struggle is interesting to watch at least. There is no black-white morality , only grey here.Veteran actor Pat Hingle ("Batman") shines as Judge Fenton and quite possibly gives the best performance of his career. Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood – enough said. He's tough and charming. Other actors aren't bad too.The opening sequence is memorable and powerful. The hanging scene in the middle is actually sad and thought provoking. The music is really effective.The love story doesn't seem really developed and movie could be a little faster."Hang'em high" is a deep and clever western . It holds even better on repeated viewings . I give it 7/10.