Watch The Ox-Bow Incident For Free

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

While its point is well taken that hot-headed vigilante justice is a more risky, if quicker and cheaper, form of justice than that achieved by jury trials, the screenplay has some significant problems, as reviewer edalweker, for example, pointed out:.....How did the false rumor that Kinkaid had been shot dead originate? This was the main reason for hanging the suspects. Certainly, the vigilantes(unofficial posse) should have checked to make sure this rumor was correct before they went out gunning for the perpetrator! The fact that one of the 3 suspects had a gun with Kincaid's name on it strongly suggested that he was killed and that the suspect, who claimed he "found" the gun, in fact had taken the gun from near Kinkaid's body. Since it turned out that Kincaid didn't die(was he wounded?), it's mighty mysterious that this suspect happened to 'find' his gun. If Kinkaid was badly wounded,"finding" his gun would be more understandable........The vigilantes had been told that some of Kinkaid's cattle had been stolen last night. A herd of Kinkaid's cattle was found near these strangers. Suspect Martin(Dana Andrews) claimed that they had bought them from Kinkaid yesterday, but hadn't been given a bill of sale. Mighty suspicious sounding!.....Thus, the vigilantes had seemingly strong suggestive evidence that these 3 had both killed Kinkaid and stolen his cattle. But, they hadn't checked out the truth of these rumors. It turned out that some of Kincaid's cattle had indeed been rustled, soon after the 3 bought their cattle, and that the rustlers had been caught, Thus, the unlikely claim that the suspects had bought the cattle without receiving a bill of sale, apparently was true. Otherwise, they might be a second group of rustlers! ....... Although many cases of lynchings involve little or no strong circumstantial evidence, this example purports to demonstrate that even multiple pieces of circumstantial evidence together can be misleading. Thus, an assumption of guilt should not be made without a thorough investigation......Of course, vigilante justice is more likely to be common where the judicial system is weak or corrupt, or too expensive and cumbersome. It was not obvious that any of these were true of this case, except that the sheriff happened to be away when these incidents supposedly happened, creating a temporary legal power vacuum......Is vigilante justice ever justified under the above conditions? I think so, but the participants should be held legally liable if they are proved wrong, and probably will be prosecuted even if they are right, if they can be identified.......I have an additional minor gripe. The character Rose Mapen should have been deleted, as she was only briefly present, and added nothing to the flow of the film. However, it was OK to mention her as the reason for Gil and Art coming to this small town, then being told she had left for San Francisco. See it at YouTube, at present.

"Hangin' is any man's business that's around." Henry Fonda's father took him to the site of a lynching that occurred the previous morning and told young Henry that statement, and that line was used in the movie at Henry Fonda's insistence. It's hard to watch movies like this because it exposes the soul of every man. At a tight 75 minutes, the plot and dialogue move along at a good pace. Beautiful performances by Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn along with the reaction shots of the mob after the final realization of their lynching leave an indelible mark on the watcher. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and in 1998 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Just seen this movie, I have to say I'm absolutely delighted! The Ox-Bow Incident can be safely ranked as one of classic cinema's great movies. Praised by critics worldwide, it has still received very little public recognition and appreciation and it is about time this changed. It was never considered a success at the time of release, especially by mogul Darryl F. Zanuck who never considered a movie a success of any kind if it lost at the box-office. However, over the years it has become an artistic success with fans who appreciate good movie- making when they see it. Unlike other westerns from the golden age of cinema, this one doesn't focus on Cowboys and Indians or other such entertainment subjects, but instead the story is of a much more absorbing and long-lasting nature. It is also very nice framed(rope shots), and has a very interesting dialogue. Some elements of the movie's story may be similar to another classic about justice, "12 angry men". The movie is also having very nice cinematography, even though it is black and white. Speaking about acting, the best directed characters were for sure Jane Darwell's and Henry Fonda's. It also has a very sad plot twist at the end.I won't spoil the end but it is a little bit complicated for me. If you are looking for a nice thriller, you found it!

It's 1885 Nevada. Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) rides into town with Art Croft (Harry Morgan) looking for Rose Mapen (Mary Beth Hughes) who is now married. Rancher Larry Kinkaid has been murdered and a posses is organized to hunt down the cattle rustlers. Gil and Art join to avoid the wrath of the posse. The sheriff is away and the judge tells the men that a posse formed by a deputy is illegal. Major Tetley and his son Gerald lead the posse to three men assumed to be the rustlers. On the way, they run across Rose Mapen and her new husband. The posse captures Donald Martin (Dana Andrews), Juan Martínez (Anthony Quinn) and Alva Hardwicke (Francis Ford) who claim to be innocent. They supposedly purchased the cattle but nobody believes them.The start is a little slow. A less-than-heroic Henry Fonda is a little off-putting. Once the posse is organized, the movie gets going. The section with the three suspects is fantastic. It gets intense. The question about the men's guilt is truly compelling. The last act gets a little preachy and repetitive. The movie could have ended more dramatically with the simple reveal. Nevertheless, this is a classic with an amazing middle.