The Ox-Bow Incident

...without have the explanation. because it is more. more than a western, more than a moving story, more than admirable performances, more than a beautiful moral lesson, more than a great way to remind basic truths. it is a pledge for honest perspective about justice and what it defines. it is a good occasion for admire Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews, for the gallery of portraits, for the impecable cinematography . and for reasons who escape from real explanations. because it has the courage. to be . a masterpiece.

... 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.

An intelligent adult and impressively tense Western based on a true story by Walter Van Clark . A top-notch cast under superb direction by William A Wellman makes this movie excellent in every aspect ,being shot on 20th Century Fox studios that serves to increase the mood of darkness and claustrophobic tension . This famous and prestigious picture from the 'Golden Age of the classic Western' was splendidly directed by William Wellman with an extraordinary plethora of actors who deliver unforgettable performances . It is set in 1885 Nevada , where takes place a terrifying nightmare when a popular rancher is killed and a mob of angry townspeope can't wait for the Marshall to find the murderers . Then , some of them attempt to take justice on their hands and quick to condemn a trio (Dana Andrews , Anthony Quinn, Francis Ford) of drifters on a lousy trial without solid evidences , being accused of rustlers and killers . As they judge those considering guilties , despite the protests of a good guy called Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and his colleague Donald Martin (Henry Morgan) . As they are posthumously proven innocent and Carter slowly manages to convince the others and he holds out with a verdict of not guilty, thus setting the stage for arguments and reasons why or why not the three detained men may be guilty . As two different groups are struggling to decide the fate of the suspect people who allegedly killed a rancher . Lynch law rules the mob ¡ . It'll chill your blood with terror amd make it boil with fury ¡

Awesome , brilliant studio of a mob mentality with strong individual characterizations , and paced in psychological tendry . But for all the obviousness of its meaning , including a simplistically liberal message , which once made it seem a landmark in the adult Western , the picture is really intriguing , not merely because William A Wellman's tersely economic narration of his material , but because 20th Century Fox made a decission to cut budget and reducing costs by filming it utterly on a studio set .This is a decidedly uncelebratory portrayal of the badness , of the angry crowd and the wrong and merciless desire for vengeance . Indeed , it influenced in Noir Film genre , as its affinity to ¨Noir¨ is extremely evident and not only in the dark shadowy cinematography , but in the gallery of sombre roles and grotesques that populates this provoking portrait of the frontier spirit .Though a long time of the movie being shot at an only location , it never lacks for taut , suspense , intrigue and inspired direction . The confrontation results to be tense , charged and riveting . Being masterfully written for the screen by Lamar Trotti , also producer , who writes an interesing and complex script from the novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. Being made in limited budget , as head of 20th Century-Fox Darryl F. Zanuck overcame his objections to the contentious nature of the film by insisting that it be made cheaply on studio sets . Interestingly , the movie's characterizations and dynamics can be seen to prefigure ¨12 angry men¨ by Sidney Lumet , that is less tragic but just as moving . Here Henry Fonda gives a magnificent acting as a cowboy with a conscience in an issue that is not as obviously clear . Although his character was originally offered to Gary Cooper, who turned it down. Being a choral film here appears notorious secondaries such as : Anthony Quinn , Mary Beth Hughes, William Eythe , Jane Darwell , Marc Lawrence ,Harry Davenport , Matt Briggs , Frank Conroy , Victor Kilian , Rondo Hatton , Francis Ford , among others .

It packs an adequate cinematography in Black and White and in overblown and amazing deep by cameraman Arthur Miller . It contains an attractive , thrilling and lyric musical score by Cyril Mockridge . The motion picture, a big 20th Century Fox spectacle well produced by Lamar Trotti , was competentingly directed by William A Wellman who bought the rights himself, and proceeded to make the film "his" way and was a box-office flop. It had several Oscar nominations ; however , being the last movie ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture which received no other Academy Award nominations . William made very good films , as Wellman directed all kind of genres as Wartime : ¨Alas¨ , ¨Battleground¨ , ¨The story of GI Joe¨ , ¨Lafayette Escadrilla¨ , Drama : ¨Nothing sacred¨, ¨Blood Alley¨ , ¨Good my lady¨ , ¨Magic Town and the Oscarized ¨A Star is born¨ , his greatest success , Adventure : ¨Beau Geste¨ , Gangster movie : ¨Public enemy ¨, and Western : ¨Buffalo Bill¨ , ¨, ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨ , ¨Across the wide Missouri¨ , ¨Westerward the woman¨ , ¨¨Yellow sky¨,and this¨The Ox-Box incident¨, among others . Rating : 8/10 . Being included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. Above average , worthwhile 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.

The Ox-Bow Incident isn't a very well known cinema classic, and therefore it's fan base is comprised mostly of cinema buffs that are willing to go that extra mile to see great films. It's a shame that this film hasn't managed to cement itself better in cinema history since it's release in 1943, but on the other hand; anyone who does make the effort to seek it out is definitely in for a treat! Unlike many other westerns from the golden age of cinema, this one doesn't focus on Cowboys and Indians or other such entertainment friendly subjects, but instead the story is of a much more absorbing and long-lasting nature. The implications of this film can be applied to almost any time in history and it will be relevant, and that is what makes The Ox-Bow Incident such a great film. The story follows two drifters who ride into a town to find that the locals are forming a posse to catch and hang the men that they believe have murdered a local farmer and stolen his cattle. It quickly becomes apparent that the men accused may not be guilty, but the townsfolk are bloodthirsty and hungry to see justice done there and then.

The themes in the film are more prevalent and important than the plot itself. The film shows how rash decisions can out-shadow the truth, and this story can be likened to any number of stories over the last few centuries where the American value of 'innocent until proved guilty' has been overshadowed in favour of a crowd-pleasing decision. The tragedy of the film is always at the forefront, and this makes it difficult to aptly categorise this film as a western. Putting this film in with a genre of film that often focuses on gunfights and chase sequences somehow doesn't seem right. This film is really an ensemble drama, and in just a 72 minute running time, director William A. Wellman has managed to make a film that both intrigues and gives it's audience food for thought. Too many filmmakers these days think that a long running time is what makes a great film; but Wellman has proved that tight plotting and an important story are the far more important aspects. Henry Fonda is the biggest name on the cast list, and he does well; but even he struggles to shine amongst this film's real star, which is, of course, the script and the themes on offer. On the whole, this is a great film, which deserves more respect and shouldn't be missed by anyone!