Everyone carries their burdens, Marshal. Hang 'Em High was directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. The cast includes Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Charles McGraw, Ruth White and Bruce Dern. Dominic Frontiere composed the music, with cinematography handled by Richard H. Kline and Leonard J. South. A man wrongly targeted in a lynching survives and later becomes a lawman, seeking to bring those vigilantes to account. Following his success in Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Eastwood returned to American films and began establishing himself in the kind of movies that would become synonymous with him. While it's clearly an American Western, there are echoes of the style found in Spaghetti Westerns. The plot feels familiar and predictable, but the characters have a distinctive quality that makes watching worthwhile. The direction by Ted Post occasionally causes the film to drag, particularly during the final third—it’s disappointing that Robert Aldrich wasn't involved. There isn't enough substance in the script to fill out the nearly two-hour running time, and the ending feels anticlimactic. The film takes a fairly overt position against capital punishment, but it doesn't detract from the picture because the complexities of justice are genuinely engaging. And then there’s Eastwood himself, which is reason enough to watch. He isn't necessarily the strongest actor in the movie, although his character’s lack of morality makes him an intriguing focal point. Hingle delivers a standout performance as the resolute Judge Fenton, and Stevens also impresses as Rachael Warren, a woman who, like Eastwood’s Jed Cooper, is driven by an obsessive desire to capture criminals. Overall, the performances are well-matched and provide good value. I'm uncertain whether having two cinematographers was simply a favor for friends. Regardless, there’s some beautiful work on display, with the New Mexico locations both visually appealing and appropriate for the story’s darker elements. Frontiere’s music is noteworthy, full of energy—sometimes it feels excessive—and oddly reminiscent of Herrmann's scores in fantasy films at times. Hang 'Em High holds a significant place within the Western genre, not exceptional but also not poor; it remains essential viewing for those who enjoy the genre. 7/10

Source on TMDB