classicsoncall Apparently Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland) subscribed to the premise set forth in the 1962 Western "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", that is to say, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". And so she does, having her chance meeting and tryst with outlaw Graham Dorsey (Charles Bronson) memorialized in a novel which takes on a life of it's own following publication. The best seller even manages to make it's way across the big pond, finding an appreciative audience among the French and Italians.I don't recall how long Dorsey spent in prison, but it seemed rather odd to me that a bunch of folks who used to know him well didn't recognize him when he made his return to Gladstone City. That it took so long for Amanda to come to that conclusion required a forced suspension of disbelief from this viewer. The rationale that she had concocted such a dreamlike version of her brief three hours with him in romantic bliss only goes so far, while everyone else who failed to recognize him or refuse to acknowledge his existence just didn't ring true to me.Here's something else that didn't ring true - during the confrontation between Amanda and the villagers who appeared at her door, the sleeve of her dress disappears between frames! How'd that happen? Lately I've been watching the 1950's TV Western 'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp', and one of the more flamboyant actors in that series was Doug Fowley in the role of Earp's friend Doc Holliday. So it didn't take long to recognize him here as Buck Bowers, leader of the Bowers Gang that Dorsey was part of. Had the writers of the story done a better job of researching their Western outlaw history, they probably wouldn't have had Dorsey state that the gang's low profile was attributed to their blaming the Jameses and the Daltons for their robberies. The heyday of the James Gang was from 1865 to 1876, while the Daltons rode from roughly 1880 to 1892. I guess the Bowers bunch could have spanned a brief time frame when both gangs operated, but it seemed like a stretch to me.So what it boils down to, check this one out if you're a fan of the real life couple Bronson and Ireland in one of their many film collaborations. They didn't always appear in stories where they had much to do with each other, but in this one they light it up with their obvious chemistry. My question would be, how many times do you think they might have rehearsed their parts back at the Bronson homestead?

fedor8 FNT3 is a clever little, original western that lulls you into a false sense of security. I'd imagine female viewers in particular will be disappointed by how the plot evolves. Essentially, the first half is the blooming romance between Bronson and Ireland (not the country, he's Lithuanian), and one is cleverly lulled into believing that the movie will continue to go on in her house.Wrong. If someone had told me the plot would eventually lead us to China and Italy (if only briefly), I wouldn't have believed it. Bronson's gang getting slaughtered was not the plot-twist I expected (though that might be because I'm a little thick occasionally; he DID have that dream, after all, which was a hint). Once he leaves Jill's house the film moves into entirely different territory. Gone are the romance and the pond-bathing bliss. This is where the real story occurs.Female viewers, I imagine, will be fooled by Bronson tricks (feigning impotence, romanticizing his past, boasting by pretending to be modest) which were quite obvious. Most guys watching this movie (aside from nerdy left-wing film buffies who have extremely limited experience with women) will instantly recognize Charlie's desperate attempts to get Jill into bed, to be liked by her. He will do and say anything to reach this simple but (at least for a while) elusive goal.A highly-principled, moral, well-educated woman meets a common thug, and the contrast does offer some points of interest. It also explains why she shot herself.Toward the end, I felt FNT3 was starting to get aimless but was curious how it will end without being a disappointment. Fortunately, the final twist is clever and neatly wraps up the story.

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.

Martin Onassis I'm not the world's biggest Western expert, but I can count the number of Western love stories on one hand.Many Westerns might include a love element as a subplot, or toss a love story away blithely to demonstrate hardness, but this film is 100% a love story.Bronson brings a refreshing realistic 70s anti-hero attitude to his character, an outlaw who dreams that he's going to die in a robbery, and so bows out, stumbling on a jackpot of romancing a widowed and wealthy Jill Ireland. They fit as much romance as possible into 3 hours. The plot goes awry soon thereafter and does a really deft job of remaining unpredictable to the end.That Bronson and Ireland were married in real life just adds to their chemistry and tragic foreshadowing.This film should appeal to ladies, and could make a good date night film, if you can find it, and has enough action and twists to entertain men, unless they are also romantic, and then this film pulls at the heartstrings quite a bit, but generally avoids becoming totally syrupy, if slightly wacky at times.You really want to reach into the film and guide the characters away from danger, that's how engaging their romance becomes. There are other moments in which this film drifts refreshingly away from the many clichés of the average Western.I saw it on the THIS channel on Nov 5 2013, and I don't think I'd seen it since I was a kid in the 70s or 80s. It doesn't seem to get broadcast much.