High Noon (1952)

Marshal Kane (Gary Cooper) is fixing to leave town, but when three gunmen ride in and quietly await the arrival of a fourth, a man that Kane sent to jail five years previously, things begin to get complicated for the lawman.
Shot in B+W but far from the same in character or tone, High Noon went hard against the grain, opting for a less romanticised setting than 1950s Westerns typically took. The nuts and bolts of its construction are plain to see in the early stages, but as the dreaded hour approaches the crisis of conscience that attacks the marshal takes on even more importance, achieving a perfect balance against a threat that makes its presence felt even when it isn't onscreen. Kane's ruminations and desperate actions, and the music that adds a dire urgency to both, become so utterly engaging that we feel every second ticking away the same as he does, in almost real time.

4 clock faces out of 5