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The Ox-Bow Incident Customer Reviews (4 - 6 of 16 Reviews)

Transcending the Western genre FULL SKULL BABY!

Sometimes Amazon's "Editorial Reviews" absolutely burn me up. Do these people even watch these films? The "one cowboy who tried to turn the mob aside" apparently refers to Fonda's character, who actually observes and doesn't get very involved, speaking aside to his friend and therefore serving as our narrator; there are actually other characters more directly involved with the events pictured here who try to stop the lynching, and in any event, NONE of these "ultimately prove" the innocence of the accused. Finally, Fonda made this film years after "The Grapes of Wrath," with "The Ox-Bow Incident" coming just before he entered the service in WWII; "My Darling Clementine" was his first release after the war. Sheesh.

But what you really want to know, those of you who haven't yet seen this film, is whether this classic holds up to its reputation and is fit for viewing today. The answers are yes and yes, absolutely. It's a simple little story but well told, based on true events that portray a miscarriage of justice in the American West. The story could just as easily have taken place in any time or place where people are tried in the court of public opinion and then take matters into their own hands. It happens in the cities of the world today, after all.

An America at war wasn't interested in seeing this downbeat film at that time, and I doubt if 20th Century Fox has yet retrieved its investment for having given the project the go-ahead. It eventually earned its reputation as public moods shifted, and is well worth a viewing. A cautionary tale for those (the majority?) of us who tend to shoot our mouths off regarding the actions of others when we know little about them. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and there were plenty of fools at the Ox Bow...but not enough angels.

Remarkably contemporary FULL SKULL BABY!

Made in 1943, this short 75-minute Western is a rock solid piece of filmmaking that is remarkably fresh today, thanks to the very intelligent, sparse dialogue and the powerful theme. Killing based on mob justice--without benefit of jury trial--has been a staple, unfortunately, of American history, as recently as the 20th century (see the excellent HBO film Vendetta for an example of this), and The Ox-Bow Incident, based on a real 19th century incident, is another.

Henry Fonda is brilliant as the understated male lead whose sense of decency is belied by his gruff cynical exterior. The cynicism he expresses is so pungent, without at all being overblown, that this in itself just about makes the film worth seeing. Henry Morgan as his partner adds the right amount and degree of companionship presence, and the other actors do a fine job as well with the sharp dialogue that wastes no words.

When three men are falsely accused of rustling cattle and, in particular, killing the man from whom the cattle was stolen, the posse who so accuses them wastes no time in going after them. One of the three, a Mexican played by Anthony Quinn, is much smarter than the initially lets on. Interestingly enough, Quinn, despite his name, was in fact born in Mexico so his character is a real life correlate with his own cultural heritage.

Knowing that "ethnic cleansing" and terrorism are very much a part of our modern world, The Ox-Bow Incident's denouement speech by Fonda's character--reading a letter written by one of the three accused men--is a powerful indictment of one of the basest traits of human nature. This is a grim, powerful film with no ounce of fat on it and that will last for decades to come.

Very highly recommended.

FRONTIER INJUSTICE... FULL SKULL BABY!

This is a classic, black and white western about frontier justice gone awry. Based upon a true incident that was memorialized in Walter Van Tilburg Clark's best selling novel, this film was a Best Picture Academy Award nominee in 1943, losing to "Casablanca".

This timeless and classic western, about how mob rule can carry the day, is set in Nevada around 1885. Cattle rustlers are the bane of the town's existence, when cowboys Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and his illiterate side-kick, Art Croft (Henry Morgan), return to town. On the heels of their return, word gets around that a popular rancher, Larry Kincaid, has been murdered, shot in the head, and his cattle stolen.

The townspeople, mostly men, decide to deputize a posse on their own and take justice into their own hands, rather than wait for the return of the sheriff from the Kincaid ranch. The one woman, "Ma" Grier (Jane Darwell), is a harridan as bloodthirsty as the men. The mob disregards the sane, rational advice of the town's judge and of those townspeople who have cooler heads. Instead, those with blood lust in their veins prevail, and the so-called posse rides out in pursuit of frontier justice. Gil and Art join them, despite being of a mind that it would be best to wait for the sheriff.

The posse happens to come across three sleeping travelers with a herd of cattle. A dapper Mexican (Anthony Quinn), a young husband and father (Dana Andrews), and a piteous, slow-witted, old man constitute the hapless trio. With blood lust rampant, the mob obtains some seemingly damning information from them and quickly forms an opinion as to their guilt. Even though seven men, Gil Carter and Art Croft among them, disagree with the decision, the merciless majority prevails, and rough frontier justice is meted out without benefit of formal trial or due process.

This film is similar in some ways to the 1957 film, "12 Angry Men", also starring Henry Fonda. There, despite a seemingly open and shut case, twelve men are prevailed upon to weight the facts very carefully and to examine the evidence in an objective rational fashion to ensure that justice be done. In "The Ox-Bow Incident", one sees what can happen when one seemingly has an open and shut case but fails to examine the evidence in an objective and dispassionate manner. In one case, justice is done. In the other, a travesty of justice occurs.

This is a superb film, deftly directed by William A Wellman, who exacts marvelous performances from the entire ensemble. Despite its brevity, being only approximately seventy-five minutes in length, the film manages to pack a dramatic wallop. Moreover, the sets are realistic looking, with a dirty, dusty, and gritty feel, as are the seemingly threadbare, dirty, and ratty clothing worn by some of the actors. The film deservedly earned its 1943 Academy Award nomination for best picture.

The transfer to DVD is great, as the print has apparently been re-mastered, providing the viewer with clear, crisp visuals and excellent audio. The DVD also provides some extras, such as a commentary by western scholar Dick Eulain and William Wellman, Jr., the director's son, an excellent A & E Network "Biography" episode, "Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero", as well as a stills gallery. This is a well-priced DVD of a great film, which should find its place in the personal collection of all those who love such films.

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