From Noon Till Three

1976 "The most wanted men in the west!"
6.5| 1h39m| PG| en
Details

Bank robber Graham Dorsey spends a few hours with beautiful widow Amanda Starbuck, in which time his gang takes part in a disastrous holdup. Learning of his comrades' demise, Dorsey goes on the lam. Believing her short-term lover was killed by the law, Amanda decides to make the most of having had a liaison with the supposedly deceased desperado by writing a book about him. Much to his confusion, the still-living Dorsey watches as his name becomes legendary.

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Reviews

Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Scott LeBrun Charles Bronson plays Graham Dorsey, one of a quintet of bank robbers. On their way to rob their next bank, his horse breaks its leg, and they stop off at a remote homestead to obtain a horse. Graham ends up staying at the house, and with its owner, Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland), while his comrades go on to commit the robbery. Initially very standoffish, Amanda soon warms up to Graham, an interesting character who shows that he can't be taken at face value. He and Amanda end up spending a very romantic three hours together (the "noon till three" of the title).When Graham rides off (ostensibly to save his fellow outlaws from the hangman), and then is later thought to be dead, Amanda fictionalizes their time together with the help of a writer. Since Graham had been embellishing some details, it's all too easy for Amanda and the writer to turn Graham into a hero of legendary proportions. Their story is published in book form and becomes popular all over the world. As a result, when Graham ventures back into the world after doing some time, he can't get anybody to believe that he's who he says he is, because the book made him out to be something that he's not!Scripted by director Frank D. Gilroy from his own novel, this is perhaps the ultimate teaming of real life couple Bronson and Ireland. As can be expected, they work very well together; Bronson has rarely, if ever, been this appealing. The role of Graham is a noted departure from most of the tough guy roles that he played. There are some good players among the supporting cast: Douglas V. Fowley, Stan Haze, Don 'Red' Barry, and Anne Ramsey in a bit, but this is primarily a charming vehicle for Mr. and Mrs. Bronson. It manages to be funny and poignant in equal measure, and is very well made technically, with a fine score by Elmer Bernstein and a touching song (music by Bernstein, lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman) sung by Ireland herself. It also serves to point out the difference that can exist between myth and reality.Some Bronson fans might not care for this sort of material, but others should find it a delight to see him venture outside his comfort zone for a change.Eight out of 10.
helpless-dancer Never have I seen a Bronson flicker as bizarre as this gem. Here we have a outlaw who breezes into the life of a lonely, remote woman on the post civil war outback. Their relationship takes off like a ruptured duck, producing an outcome that only the likes of a taro card reader could predict. I loved the way this story played out as the action led from one stranger than fiction event to another. This led Bronson's character to lose the one thing more valuable to him than all the bank money he had ever desired and his lover to lose even more. This was a top notch Charles Bronson film, well written and played out, possibly the best thing I've seen him in yet. Thumbs up.
Michael_Elliott 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.
dcheng-7 I'm shocked to learn that only 17 comments were written in the IMDb so far. I've seen this movie 20 years ago and for a second time last week. I still feel this is a great movie.Full of inspiration and transpiration, with excellent script and directing, not to mention the great performance by the 2 leading actor and actress, both exhibiting masterpiece achievements for their professionalism.It was a low cost production, but great film doesn't necessarily cost much. It's a complete waste of movie resource that so little people had seen this masterpiece.Probably Bronson's only comedy, I strongly and unreservedly recommend it to anyone!