The Ox-Bow Incident 1942 123movies

Watch: The Ox-Bow Incident 1942 123movies, Full Movie Online – Two drifters are passing through a Western town, when news comes in that a local farmer has been murdered and his cattle stolen. The townspeople, joined by the drifters, form a posse to catch the perpetrators. They find three men in possession of the cattle, and are determined to see justice done on the spot..
Plot: Gil Carter and Art Croft ride into a small Nevada town plagued by cattle thieves. Initially suspected of being the rustlers themselves, Carter and Croft eventually join a posse out to get the criminals, who also may be involved in a recent shooting. When the posse closes in on a group that could be the fugitives, they must decide on a course of action, with numerous lives hanging in the balance.
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Ratings:

	8.0/10 Votes: 23,605
	91% | RottenTomatoes
	N/A | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 291 Popularity: 11.151 | TMDB

Reviews:

There can’t be any such thing as civilisation unless people have a conscience.

The Ox-Bow Incident is directed by William A. Wellman and adapted to screenplay by Lomar Trotti from the novel of the same name written by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. It stars Henry Fonda, Henry Morgan, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe and Jane Darwell. Music is scored by Cyril J. Mockridge and cinematography by Arthur C. Miller.

Gil Carter & Art Croft ride into the town of Bridger’s Wells, they hit the local saloon to imbibe after a log hard cattle drive. Whilst there a man runs in and announces that a popular man from the town has been shot by rustlers. The sheriff is out of town and a lynch mob quickly forms to bring what they see as swift justice to the culprits, Gil & Art join the posse so as to make sure they themselves don’t get blamed for the shooting. The posse finds three weary workers and convince the majority that these guys are guilty and that instant hanging is the only way to do things. There are, however, one or two dissenting voices……

What a fabulous movie this is, a powerful indictment of how the lynch mob mentality can grip and lead to pain for many. William Wellman directs superbly, with a big ensemble in such a small area (Ox-Bow), he manages to get the right blend of emotive reactions from the leading players. Henry Fonda as Gill Carter is perfectly sedate and compassionate, even though he is far from being a flawless character, Dana Andrews as Donald Martin is heart achingly real, while others like Frank Conroy as Major Tetley are suitably full of ignorant bluster. It’s quite an experience to see Wellman pull them all together with so much style. The photography from Miller is excellent, shadowy low tone black and white that is in keeping with the downbeat nature of the film, it infuses the picture with a gritty hard bitten noirish look. While Mockridge scores it suitably as sombre.

Ultimately it’s the story that triumphs the most, claustrophobic in nature, it is simple yet tragic as it spins out to tell us how a group of seemingly sane individuals turned out to be a mass of incoherent reasoning. When a letter is read out during the finale, it is devastating in its effect, we see men broken, heads bowed in shame, others heavy in heart, their lives never to be the same. The emotional whack is hard hitting, and rightly so. For this is unashamedly a message movie, and a worthy one at that, so much so its reputation has grown over the years, where both the film and novel have made it into some educational curriculum’s. It’s very much a landmark Western, by choosing to forgo action for dark characterisations, it opened up the Western genre to being more than just shoot-outs and trail blazing. Had it been made seven or eight years later I think it would have garnered higher critical praise.

In spite of being one of Fonda’s favourite movies that he made, the film didn’t make money. The public were not quite ready for such sombre beats (Orson Welles, tellingly I feel, loved it), the critics of the time were irked by Wellman’s decision to film the key trial and lynching sequences on the stage. Yet the closeness this gives the narrative serves it well, thrusting the many characters close together so they, and us, can see the whites of everyone’s eyes, this is about focusing on the faces of those about to commit a capital crime. The close confines also gives off a pervasive sense of doom, where pessimism seeps through, there is no short changing here, the makers are dealing in bleakness and the right choices are made to produce one of the finest and most upsetting exponents of mob mentality played out on film. 9/10

When “Larry Kincaid” is shot, the townsfolk rise up and decide to pursue the killers. Led by Confederate officer “Tetley” (Frank Conroy) they alight on three folks in the wilderness moving some cattle. It seems that these three had recently been with “Kincaid” and so a kangaroo court is duly assembled with a view to lynching them. William Wellman now develops one of the most tautly presented half hours of cinema I’ve ever seen. The posse have no evidence, but will they be persuaded by the protestations of innocence from “Martin” (Dana Andrews) and his companions, including Anthony Quinn’s “Martinez”? The tension is palpable as old man “Davies” (Harry Davenport) tries to be the voice of reason and “Art” (Harry Morgan) and “Carter” (Henry Fonda) wrestle, too, with their consciences. It’s a shocking indictment of mob justice, and the dialogue and overall look of the film really build well as what seems inevitable edges nearer and nearer. The ending has a twist that provides food for thought for all concerned (including the audience) and has something of the “Forgive them father…” about it, too. Fonda takes top billing, but Conroy’s performance is probably the most enthralling – brutality in a finely tailored uniform.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) ****
I loved the simplicity of this 75 minute film, yet how powerful and effective it remained just the same. It’s an effective little gem with nice direction, good performances (with a standout being a young Anthony Quinn) and a telling study of human weaknesses.

I had a very minor quibble regarding Henry Fonda’s characterization early in the movie, and how so much time was spent on crafting it to no real advantage. It seemed like all that preliminary material had no bearing on the events that would transpire later in the movie. The same might be argued for the scene involving the married woman who Fonda is sweet on. No matter. In the end, the film is overwhelmingly successful and poignant, despite these observations.

Other Information:

Original Language en
Runtime 1 hr 15 min (75 min)
Budget 565000
Revenue 0
Status Released
Rated Passed
Genre Drama, Western
Director William A. Wellman
Writer Lamar Trotti, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
Actors Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes
Country United States
Awards Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 2 nominations total
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Aspect Ratio 1.37 : 1
Camera N/A
Laboratory N/A
Film Length (8 reels), 2,065 m
Negative Format 35 mm
Cinematographic Process Spherical
Printed Film Format 35 mm