Gunfighter Ruble Noon (a fine and credible performance by Richard Crenna) gets amnesia. Crafty outlaw Rimes (smoothly played by Stephen Boyd) helps Noon figure out his identity. After it's discovered that Noon knows about a hidden fortune in gold, slippery judge Niland (a pleasingly slimy turn by Farley Granger) and the ruthless Peg Cullane (a deliciously wicked portrayal by Patty Shepard) conspire together to get their hands on said gold. Director Peter Collinson relates the engrossing and intricate story at a steady pace, maintains a fairly tough and gritty tone throughout, makes nice use of the dusty'n'desolate desert locations, and stages the exciting shoot outs and rough'n'ready fisticuffs with skill and flair. The compelling script by Scot Finch and Antonio Recoder offers a few nifty twists. The sound acting by the bang-up cast rates as another major asset: Rosanna Schioffino as the sweet Fan Davidge, Aldo Sambrell as the cowardly Kissling, and Jose Jaspe as loyal ranch hand Henneker. Luis Bacalov's robust harmonic score hits the rousing spot. John Cabrera's polished cinematography provides lots of striking shots of the beautiful scenery. A worthwhile film.

A weird and average low budget western, British made and shot in Spain with American leads in the cast. This film features none other than Richard Crenna as the heroic lead, a mysterious gunslinger come to clean up the town, suffering from the usual amnesia that makes him slightly vulnerable (a trope that was over-utilised in this particular genre of film-making). I do love Crenna but first and foremost he was a character actor so it's a little unusual to see him as the hero here; it's impossible to ignore the fact that he seems miscast. The likes of Stephen Boyd, Farley Granger, and Patty Shepard play in support. This film is directed by Peter Collinson, the director of such movies as THE ITALIAN JOB and STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING, and it's an interesting oddity rather than anything particularly enjoyable. The plot seems long-winded and the outcome obvious, but at the same time at least it retains the interest.

Despite the presence of Richard Crenna, "The Man Called Noon" is a real obscurity - I couldn't find a listing for it in any of my movie reference books, and I have a lot in my personal library! But it didn't take long watching it to figure out why it is unknown today. Now, I will say that the director manages to pump in a lot of atmosphere into just about every scene, and occasionally there is some decent action. However, the movie is all the same a tough slog. It is remarkably slow for a European western, with the movie remaining at a near standstill for long periods. The screenplay also suffers with the amnesia subplot - not much is done with it, and what there is has a strong degree of extreme familiarity. No freshness there. Also, there are some strange changes in tone - one scene the movie is trying to be a gritty western, and then it suddenly changes into a western with a more epic tone. In short, the movie is a real mess, and even fans of Euro westerns might be squirming in their seats.

Richard Crenna starts off as an amnesiac, and the film actually plays with our heads as we watch it. Everyone knows who he is, but he doesn't! So, we see things from his disjointed perspective. He seems to be this "Holy Avenger" type "Dark Knight" like a western Batman or something! the local train line stops at his PERSONAL train stop! he has a ranch house with a HUGE cave just through a fireplace secret door! He has unbelievably powerful--maybe even War Horses breeds--horses He was hired to wipe out the wretched, scum evil dudes and save the sweet but fire tempered girl, BUT he doesn't know it! Stephen Boyd is so cool in this flick, he's like "Richard Boone Lite"--he is funny, mysterious, slippery, and becomes Crenna's character's best friend/almost sibling. He exudes a sort of "yeah, I'm the sidekick, but I shoot almost as good as him, and I'm just a little less honorable" attitude here. All in all, this movie is SO cool! BTW, I'm 43, and have seen ALL the sixties and seventies spaghetti westerns, and only this one(of the non-Eastwood) is a treasured, and cherished, favorite! And, I got it at Wal Mart for a single dollar!