Hang 'Em High 4K 1968 Ultra HD 2160p

A band of vigilantes catch Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) and, incorrectly believing him guilty of cattle rustling and murder, hang him, and leave him for dead. But he doesn't die. He returns to his former profession of lawman to hunt down his lynchers and bring them to justice.

User Review

In the late 1960s, after the success of Sergio Leone's "dollars trilogy," its star, Clint Eastwood, found himself at a crossroads. On the one hand, the actor's established "cowboy with no name" image, so beloved by audiences worldwide, allowed him to continue playing it into old age, earning substantial fees. On the other hand, it put an end to his attempts to inhabit a different character or explore a different genre. We now know that Eastwood would easily overcome this problem, and over the next 40 years he would successfully work on films across a wide range of genres and genres, proving himself not only a talented actor but also an outstanding director. Back in 1968, when the world knew only Eastwood the cowboy, the smartest thing to do was once again arm himself with a Colt .45 and smash another dozen villains across the screen in another solid Western, which the actor did brilliantly in "Hang 'Em Up."

Jed Cooper is no different from the "man with no name" from the famous Italian's spaghetti Westerns: he's the same cold-blooded lone hero with a stern gaze and a limited vocabulary, who always operates by his own code, and for whom "a few dollars more" is no problem. Cooper, however, holds more power (as a deputy sheriff) than his on-screen twin, and his past is less mysterious—at the beginning of the film, Eastwood's character is a farmer, unjustly accused of stealing cattle and murdering his owner. Lynched by a local judge and his men, Cooper miraculously survives, after which he begins a systematic vengeance on his tormentors, always keeping the law in mind. The Nine Horsemen who hanged an innocent man will deeply regret their actions...

This Western about all-consuming revenge seamlessly transitions into a drama about the struggle for justice, and then into melodrama, which doesn't detract from the film at all. Every aspect of the film is engaging in its own way, allowing you to get to know the protagonist and the situation he finds himself in.

Clint Eastwood is devastatingly charismatic as Cooper. The role is literally tailor-made for him. The actor delivers a confident performance, his every action is motivated, and the few lines he delivers are every bit as powerful as John McClane's in Die Hard. Some might think his character is driven solely by revenge, but notice how he defends two young men in court and how he courts the woman he likes—these scenes reveal the protagonist's positive side.

There's also a certain mysticism inherent in all Eastwood's Westerns (think of High Plains Drifter or Pale Rider): risen as if from the dead, his character resembles a horseman from hell, imbued with some mysterious power that allows him to overcome any obstacle. Otherwise, it's hard to explain the ease with which he dispatches his enemies and secures their confessions. Perhaps it was worth dying and being resurrected to become stronger than before, or perhaps a sheriff obsessed with revenge is the ultimate servant of the law? Each viewer is free to interpret what they see in their own way.

"Hang 'Em Up" is a solid, middling Western. It's not a masterpiece comparable to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" or "Unforgiven," but it's definitely worth watching. The timeliness of its themes makes it relatable to this day. The film's narrative and gritty aesthetic are reminiscent of another well-known Western, William Wellman's "The Ox-Bow Incident," which also dealt with the victims of illegal lynching, the only difference being that Wellman emphasized the inaction of bystanders to the crime rather than the vengeance meted out to them. So if you watched "The Ox-Bow Incident" and liked it, you'll likely enjoy "Hang 'Em Up." Additionally, the film boasts beautiful cinematography and a vibrant soundtrack, which I'm sure will delight fans of America's oldest film genre. Fans of Clint Eastwood's talent should definitely watch this film.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (94.0 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 2.0
#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
#English: FLAC 2.0 (Commentary by film historians Lem Dobbs and Nick Redman)
#English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Commentary by filmmaker/historian Steve Mitchell)
#English: FLAC 2.0 (Commentary by film historian Jim Hemphill)

Info Subtitles

English SDH (PGS), Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French (Metropolitan) (PGS), German SDH, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (European), Spanish (Latin American) (PGS), Swedish, Thai, Turkish.