Hey, Something is Wrong Here

Except for those heartwarming, family dramas (Dr Quinn and Little House on the Prairie), I 'hate, loathe, despise and abominate'* westerns. They're full of dusty places and dusty people with ugly hats. And, although I don't hate Henry Fonda, I can't say he'd ever make me see a movie on the strength of his appearance in it.

So, why did I voluntarily decide to watch The Ox-Bow Incident, which is not only a western, but one starring Fonda? Two reasons. 1. I heard it was good. 2. I wanted to see that it really wasn't as good as people say and get the joy of trashing it.

Alas, something went horribly wrong. Although the movie starts off slowly (I frankly didn't care one bit about Fonda's lost lady love), it soon moves into a gripping drama.

Gil Carter and Art Croft (Henry Fonda and Henry Morgan) haven't been in town long when news comes that well liked rancher Larry Kincaid has been killed by cattle rustlers. The townsmen are eager to round up the murderers and bring them to 'justice'. Although an old storekeeper, Arthur Davies,(Harry Davenport) tries to argue that they're plan is no better than murder, the mob refuses to listen. Fonda and Morgan join in self protection (suspicion is cast their way because they're strangers), and everyone sets off. After awhile they come upon three men, a young husband and father, a Mexican, and a senile old man (Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and Francis Ford). The circumstantial evidence is bad. They have Kincaid's gun, and his cattle but no bill of sale proving that the cattle was legally paid for. It doesn't take long for the crowd to decide that these are the guilty ones. Andrews' protests of innocence and his pleads to spare the life of the old man help convince a few of the people that they deserve a fair chance to prove their innocence. Unfortunately, this number is shamefully low, and 'majority rules'.

Like I said, I hate westerns, but I found myself anxious, indignant and even felt a lump in my throat as I watched. This is a 'message' movie, but the message is so well shown that you don't mind being preached to.

Although Fonda is supposed to be the star of the film, I felt the real strong performance came from Andrews. Far from the rootin, tootin gunslinger type, he shows a vulnerability that made him so good in The Best Years of Our Lives. His bewilderment in the beginning and anger later on are well shown. However, it's his fear and despair that really got to me. The tears he can't hold back, first when he sees the evidence pile up against him, and then after he gains a little hope only to have it dashed again brought me close to tears as well. Also, the difficulty he has in writing a farewell letter to his wife rang true. The way his hand shakes, and he has to tear up the first draft (it certainly must be hard to write that kind of letter) show a real humanness.

The rest of the characters played their parts well, although there are some type roles. The cold father who uses the experience to teach his cowardly, but more morally courageous son to 'be a man'; the simple, but folk wise black preacher; and the bloodthirsty crowd (including Jane Darwell as Ma Grier) all play a part in the film.

The moral of the tale is illustrated by the action and dialogue that shows just how effective the old rule of 'show not tell' can be. The only thing that spoils it is Andrews' letter. It is more of a speech on how lynch mobs are wrong (which we've already seen from the earlier action) and as another critic pointed out, is hardly the kind of thing a man would write to his wife as a farewell.

The Ox-Bow Incident is a very short film. Only 75 minutes, but this is an asset. Instead of a long build up, you get right to the heart of things (with the exception of the romantic subplot, which was really a few minutes that could easily have been thrown away). The actors don't have a lot of time to bring a background story to their roles, but they still breathe life into them. Maybe that's why I can stomach this film better than other westerns. These are more than the roaring, string 'em up and shoot 'em up folk. They're people. People you shake your fist at and people you weep for.



*this quote comes from Meet Me in St Louis, a totally different film from The Ox-Bow Incident.