The Ox-Bow Incident

... and while marsupials didn't roam the US countryside a kangaroo court establishes the desires of the baying mob that only a lynching will do, while only a select few have the will and decency to defy their savage rage for revenge.

THE OX-BOW INCIDENT was never considered a success at the time of release, especially by studio mogul Darryl F. Zanuck who never considered a film a success of any kind if it lost at the box-office. However, over the years it has become an artistic success with fans who appreciate good movie-making when they see it.

The performances are all first rate--particularly HENRY FONDA as the not too bright drifter who opposes the lynching mob, Harry Morgan as his rather slow witted sidekick, Frank Conroy as the General with the weakling son (William Eythe), and most importantly, DANA ANDREWS, who has the most riveting role in the whole film and makes the most of it. His is the outstanding contribution, sensitive and gripping. The story is based on a true incident that happened in Montana in the late 1880s--and, of course, one that could have happened anywhere in the old West.

It's easy to see why it was not a commercial success. Except for Fonda, there are no other major stars in the cast for marquee value. Neither Dana Andrews nor Anthony Quinn had yet achieved star status. The story is grim and downright sobering, dwelling, as it does, on man's inhumanity to man. The Paul Hurst character, who makes various mocking gestures with his hangman's knot, adds to the grim gloominess of all the proceedings. Hurst (who played the Yankee deserter in GWTW) was almost always cast as a villainous lug.

The night scenes involving the hanging seem to take place on a studio soundstage but somehow it doesn't matter. Nothing distracts from the taut realism of the drama once we know that the lynching is definitely going to be carried out. Afterwards, the knowledge that the man they allegedly hanged is not dead, comes as a twist that drives home the senselessness of what their mob mentality has done.

Mary Beth Hughes has a decorative role as the only feminine interest in the film--except for an uncredited bit by Margaret Hamilton and an unusually grim and unsympathetic role for Jane Darwell.

Well worth watching, a message picture that delivers without being preachy. My only complaint is that the letter Fonda reads at the end could have been simpler and less eloquent for the sake of realism and in keeping with the naturalness of Dana Andrew's performance. Complementing Andrew's work is a nice, sympathetic performance by character actor Harry Davenport as the man who tries hard to prevent the hanging.

Otherwise, everything is right on the mark. Well worth watching.

When I first saw this film, I couldn't get it out of my head. Three men are executed by vigilante justice, put forth by a bigoted, but respected man. I couldn't help but put myself in the place of those men, trying to logically remove myself from the the grasp of these people. There is no reason to hurry the verdict. It is about people who get caught up in a mob mentality and give up their common sense and integrity for expediency. The hard thing is that there is nothing anyone can do to right this. There is no bring people back to life. About all we can determine is that these men will have to live with this decision for the rest of their lives. The problem with mob rule, is that they all have excuses for their actions. I thought. I thought. I thought. See this film but be prepared to think about it for a long time.

An excellent movie that avoid the western cliché, bringing a Theatrical Drama about reason, justice and piety.

Everything works perfectly, in terms of sound, ambiance and plot. Exception made by the role of Mary Beth Hughes. The protagonist's frustrated romance does'nt add nothing relevant to presents Gil Carter's personality.

The letter reading scene is absolutelly beautiful and very meaningful, totally worth the movie. This Western deserves more recognition from the overall public.

Wellman touches on so many social concepts in this film, that it is necessary to view it multiple times to understand all the complex interactions between the characters. Whether it is racial, generational, or the examination of peer pressure and mob mentality, this film covers the entire spectrum of bestial, vs. human behavior in people from widely different points of view and reference. As a father, I felt terrible pain for the character portrayed by Dana Andrews. His poignant portrayal of someone in the wrong place, at the wrong time, is heart-wrenching. I was also touched by the brief appearances of the sole black character in the film, who knew better than any of the protagonist's what the real significance of lynching forebode.