The Ox-Bow Incident
Academy Award Nominee 1943
Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and Art Croft (Henry Morgan) ride into a town frustrated by the prevalence of cattle rustlers. Suddenly, word comes that a popular rancher has been murdered, which puts the already enraged town over the edge. When the spiteful mayor forms a posse, Gil and Croft are swept up in their mission - to seek vengeance - even upon those innocent of any wrong-doing.
As it becomes clear that blood-lust may win out over rationality, the tension mounts in this "masterpiece" (Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films) with its timeless message about the dangers of mob mentality.
Member Reviews
Maybe More Timely Today Than In 1943 - CharleyJames
One of the great Westerns of all time – and one of the best films of any genre to come out of Hollywood – The Ox-bow Incident remains as relevant today as it was in 1943. Just look at what’s going on in the US.
The film plays superbly as a simple parable, offering a far more pessimistic view of frontier justice than the usual Western. Some may find it lacking action like the typical Western or too filled with preaching but there's a certain gripping power that makes this superior Western a landmark film and one of the most poignant.
The acting is first-rate. Fonda's compassionate performance takes center stage as the rough cowboy made an unwilling member of the lynching, and Dana Andrews' moving performance as the victim of a mean-spirited ugly mob. The posse displays intensely how their ability to reason and act human are curtailed by the fever of the mob. Jane Darwell, the only woman in the mob, proves she can be even more brutish than the men while the fake major is shown to be an inept leader who has made life miserable for his effete son by forcing him to participate in order to make a man out of him.
Wellman bought the rights to Ox-Bow for $6,500, but was turned down for years by every producer he approached to put up the money to make it until a reluctant Darryl Zanuck had the guts to film the out-of-the-ordinary story for the prestige rather than the dough. But to seal the bargain with Zanuck, Wellman had to agree that he would also direct two mediocre pictures for the producer that he didn't want to do.
A bit of trivia: Ox-bow inspired Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men, which also starred Fonda.A powerful film that holds up extremely well - doublereed
Clad as a western, The Ox-Bow Incident is really a dark, timeless morality play on justice, courage, and the tyranny of the majority. Despite the heavy themes, and very little comic relief, the "preachiness" is so well clothed in excellent writing, acting, and cinematography, that despite its vintage both I and my sweetie (who is not usually a fan of older B&W films) were thoroughly captured and moved. Like Henry Fonda's other great plea for bravery in the face of injustice, "12 Angry Men", The Ox Bow Incident deserves to be part of high-school curricula, but by no means should be regarded as something medicinally "good for you", but a great movie first and foremost.One of a Kind - Jimmy_Jam
For its time, this movie has a very dark and bleek outlook on the human race as a whole. It is not only a gem of a western it is a timeless look into ourselves. The examples of "group think" that are present are completely believable and the viewer becomes torn between what to do at first; it is when the choice becomes obvious that Henry Fonda delivers his usual amazing performance. The man can go from "cold as ice" to the most human, compassionate being I've ever seen. It may be bleek, but the performances and story make it very touching. A perfect film.
Member Reviews
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Maybe More Timely Today Than In 1943 - CharleyJames
One of the great Westerns of all time – and one of the best films of any genre to come out of Hollywood – The Ox-bow Incident remains as relevant today as it was in 1943. Just look at what’s going on in the US.
The film plays superbly as a simple parable, ...A powerful film that holds up extremely well - doublereed
Clad as a western, The Ox-Bow Incident is really a dark, timeless morality play on justice, courage, and the tyranny of the majority. Despite the heavy themes, and very little comic relief, the "preachiness" is so well clothed in excellent writing, acting, ...One of a Kind - Jimmy_Jam
For its time, this movie has a very dark and bleek outlook on the human race as a whole. It is not only a gem of a western it is a timeless look into ourselves. The examples of "group think" that are present are completely believable and the viewer becomes ...