 | Starring: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe Director: William A. Wellman Format: Black & White Closed-captioned DVD-Video Full Screen NTSC Released: 04 Nov 2003 Average Rating:  |
Henry Fonda's character is one man who believes in capital punishment, but also believes in the right to a fair trial. However, he faces down a large posse of bloodlusting men who are not interested in examining the difficult truth, but instead who prefer the convenient satiation of their rage. How does one voice among many speak, especiallly if they don't want to hear? There is a depth to it, similar to "Twelve Angry Men," also starring Fonda.
Anthony Quinn is one of two men facing a tree-hung noose. MASH's Henry Morgan is very young & dapper here (without his horse, Sophie), & stars as Fonda's friend.
A subplot regards a military leader who essentiallly leads the posse to the men, & his relationship with his son whom he forces to come along. The son, a prim & delicate sophisticate is opposed to his machismo-laden father in both personality & mission. Their conflict between right & wrong, son against father, man against child is more than a subplot, but a natural part of any such confrontation.
A short film of 75 minutes apparently not yet on DVD, it is acclaimed as a classic. However, it is far from showing the powerful vistas of "Red River" or the gruff but witty one-liners of "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly." It moves quickly, & its tight editing avoids cliches & limits the viewer from feeling as if he can expect the next line.
I fully recommend "The Ox-Bow Incident." It is the sort of movie worth watching in a high school civics course, or in a movie discussion group.
Anthony Trendl
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