From Noon Till Three (1976)

Thanks for the memories!

Simply Perfect

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

... because although it shows the great chemistry between Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland, real life husband and wife acting team until she was taken from us too soon by cancer, this Western love story is based upon Charles Bronson's character (Graham)being an attempted rapist, and being an actual rapist had his intended victim (Jill Ireland as widow Amanda) not been so (initially) clever.Graham stays behind at Amanda's ranch after his horse gives out, having had premonitions that his gang will be caught during the bank robbery that was planned. You see, the whole idea of stopping at Amanda's was to find him a fresh horse, and when he finds one after she lies about having one, he just confirms the lie. So the gang rides out to rob the bank and pick Graham up later, and Graham proceeds to chase Amanda through the house attempting to rape her. She counters by saying that she knows he'll win in the end and rather than suffer her clothes being ripped apart and her being physically assaulted beyond the rape she just lays down passively like a corpse.This is very unappealing to Graham, so he devises a tale of impotence to get Amanda's sympathy, it works, and they have a three hour love affair. But word comes back that Graham's premonitions were right. His gang was caught and will be hanged that afternoon. Amanda, considering Graham to be a gallant character - gosh she has a short memory - encourages him to ride into town and save them. Graham finally gives in and rides out, intending to only nap for awhile and then come back saying he failed.But the posse finds him and gives chase anyways, and Graham forces a traveling dentist to change clothes and horses with him, causing the dentist to be shot and killed by the posse in Graham's place. Graham is not home free though, because he changed clothes with the wrong dentist - a quack dentist who is wanted by the law himself.Amanda looks upon the dead man's clothes and faints, believing Graham dead and is at first ostracized for consorting with Graham, but then she first verbally speaks of their great love and is forgiven, then writes what turns out to be a best selling book about their three hour love affair, greatly embellishing Graham's character and appearance. The story even spawns a hit play, and the royalties from all of this make Amanda a rich woman.Will Graham ever get back to Amanda again and how? And if he does will she even recognize him, since Amanda isn't actually lying because she has come to believe all of this legend herself? Watch and find out.This is a western just full of clever ironies. It's rather a product of its time - the 1970s - when people would rather believe a pleasant lie than know the unvarnished truth, because they are pretty sure that unvarnished truth is going to be unpleasant.

*** This review may contain spoilers *** *Plot and ending analyzed*From Noon Til Three is a pretty lousy movie. Not only is the acting not up to par, the script isn't that convincing. It seems like a cross between a comedy and a play, with disastrous results. Charles Bronson is annoying to watch, since he's a wooden actor, and if he's not in constant action, then he'll wear you down really quick. He's not likable at all here, switching his clothes with a dentist, who later gets shot by the posse who was after him.Jill Ireland is his love interest. Jill Ireland is wooden as well. She sleeps with him right off the bat, why, I'm still trying to figure that out. They have three hours before his gang comes back so they spend their time in bed, or near a pond, or in a parlor. Sounds about as much fun as having sand poured over your head. Jill Ireland thinks he gets shot and a book is written about their love romance, which becomes famous. Charles Bronson was actually put into prison for a year and when he comes back, no one believes its him. That's pretty much it. It's not believable at all and makes for a long viewing because of the tedious scenes.Charles Bronson was better in Breakheart Pass (1975) or The Magnificent Seven (1960).

I'm always up for something that little bit different but I wasn't prepared for this. I must have sat mouth agape as my eyes glazed over as it dawned upon me this was not exactly to my taste. If you like Jill Ireland and are keen to see Bronson as a romantic lothario, this could be for you but I just found it so unbelievable that it could ever have got made.I note, however, that this has a considerable following, so for some this whimsical tale of inherent silliness is most appealing and I worry for them. I'm fairly certain that anyone used to checking out my own peculiar taste in films will find this the most amazing waste of time.

From Noon Till Three (1976) *** (out of 4) Extremely delighting romantic comedy with Charles Bronson playing a bank robber who can't go on the latest heist and instead stays back at a house with a beautiful woman (Jill Ireland). The two spend three romantic hours together but after she thinks he's been killed, she decides to write a story about those three hours, which turns him into a legend but when he returns there's going to be trouble as he wants to be himself and not the legend. When you mention Charles Bronson you can have a great number of films to discuss. I have discussed the films of Bronson with many people but when I mention this film here everyone goes quiet as not many have heard of it and even fewer have actually seen it, which is a real shame because this is certainly one of his best. It's not common for Bronson to take part in what's basically a romantic comedy but he and Ireland really work wonderfully well together and this is clearly their best film together. It really seems like neither one is giving an actual "performance" but instead they're just being themselves because both come off so natural. Just take a look at the scene where they're swimming together as the perfect example. Perhaps they are just acting but this sequence feels so real that you can't help but feel they're just playing around and showing their real love for one another. The first seventy-five minutes of this movie are so refreshing, funny and charming because we're seeing Bronson playing a character unlike anything he had played before or since. I found him to be incredibly charming here and it's just great fun for a fan to see him flirting, picking flowers and actually smiling. Ireland, never accused of being a great actress, actually does a very good job here and is quite believable in her role. I think the final act with the "truth vs. legend" doesn't work as well as I'm sure everyone was hoping for but you have to give the filmmakers a lot of credit for the ending that I won't ruin here. The film actually says a lot about fame, believing lies that you might read and various other things but in the end the real jewel is seeing Bronson playing a role that he never really got to again, which is a shame considering how great he is here.