The Ox-Bow Incident

The evolution of the western is the stuff scholarly studies are made of, but somehow The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) rarely earns a mention. Despite being nominated for Best Picture and starring the legendary Henry Fonda, director William A. Wellman's film just seems to slip between the cracks of cinema history even though it's unrelentingly dark subject matter was a crucial turning point for the genre.

In a classic case of bad timing, ranchers Gil (Fonda) and Art (Harry Morgan) arrive in a quiet Nevada town just as all hell is about to break loose. Word reaches the saloon about the murder of another local rancher at the hands of outlaw rustlers and soon a lynching party is formed to make sure the wheels of justice turn quickly. Gil and Art begrudgingly join the posse, which soon comes up three men who not only fit the description but also are carrying the dead man's gun.

And yet the idea of hanging men without a fair trial, despite the overwhelming evidence, doesn't sit well with stubborn few. And those anxious for vengeance, blood or just a night's diversion must decide whether they're participating in frontier justice or just cold-blooded murder.

And moralistic twist on the familiar theme of savagery vs. civilization, The Ox-Bow Incident looks deeper into the heart of its characters than most westerns of the era. It manages to do so without too much overt sermonizing, cleverly keeping the audience in suspense of the suspected rustlers' guilt or innocence until the breaking point. Fonda carries the burden of righteousness, but actually fades into the background quite a bit as the rest of the cast (including Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn) rise to the challenge. In fact, Quinn's mysterious Mexican is so interesting he deserved his own prequel!

At a brisk 75-minute pace, the film almost feels like a piece of episodic television and even shares some of the format's flaws. The low budget forced Wellman to film almost exclusively on studio sets while a romantic sub-plot involving Gil's former fiancé seems like it was extrapolated from a longer cut that never saw release. When the film did finally hit theaters, it's tense and depressing take on what was, up until that point, a genre full of dependable good guys and bad guys didn't sit well with audiences. Yet unlike that much of that escapist fare, The Ox-Bow Incident still packs a punch.

Kino Lorber's blu-ray is mastered from new 4K restoration that looks awful good considering the film's original negative was damaged beyond repair early in its theatrical run. Extras include a fascinating commentary from William Wellman, Jr. about his father's fight to get the film made. He's joined by western scholar Dick Eulain who fills in the gaps on production notes and trivia. A 45-minute documentary, Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero, gathers comments about the actor's career from his contemporaries. There's also a Restoration Demo and several trailers from other westerns in the Kino Lorber library.