Review of Three O'Clock High (1987) by Douglas L — 29 Nov 2011

"Three O'Clock High" is a clever albeit slight teem version of the classic western, but it almost has as much working against it as it does working for it. It's a great example of a talented director showing a lot of promise with his debut feature, but it would take a second picture for him to find his groove.

Phil Joanau has some good moments here, and his artistry behind the camera helps elevate this simple plot. Without him and this would have been even more bland. I liked some of the supporting actors in the cast, most notably Stacey Glick who is very funny and likable as our hero's little sister. The problem is that the two young leads are bland and forgettable, especially newcomer Casey Siemaszko. He's someone that we're supposed to identify with and root for, but he doesn't have much of a personality. It's hard to get behind him, but he fares better than his co-star Richard Tyson who I guess does what he can with the weak material he's given to deal with. But the role is so underwritten that you wonder why the screenwriters bothered giving his character a name. They could have just called him "The Bully" because he's given no motivation and only the sketchiest of backgrounds.

And the fight that closes the film is built up so much that almost anyway the filmmakers write it, it will not be able to live up to the hype. And such was the case. Still, I loved the film's visual style and face pace enough to give it a very mild recommendation. Watching "Three O'Clock High", you can almost see a better movie bubbling under the surface. It rarely breaks through to the top.