From Noon till Three

From Noon Till Three is an American film released in 1976 by United Artists. It stars Charles Bronson and his wife, Jill Ireland. It was written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, based on his novel.

Plot

The setting is the American West, late 19th century. A gang of bank robbers led by Graham Dorsey (Charles Bronson) is off to rob a small-town bank, but Graham is having second thoughts: he's had a nightmare in which the gang was wiped out during the robbery attempt. Worse, Graham's horse broke down and the gang members have to get another. They try at the ranch of the widow Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland). Amanda, suspicious of the men, denies having a horse. Graham checks out the barn and finds a horse, but still afraid of disaster, he lies to his men and agrees to wait three hours at the ranch for their return (the "from noon till three" of the title). It turns out he has another reason for wanting to stay behind though: he wants to force himself on Mrs. Starbuck. Amanda resists rather inventively; simply lies still, fully clothed. This frustrates Graham, who decides on a ruse. He pretends he is impotent, hoping to play on Amanda's sympathy. The deception works, and they make love three times.