As what could only be described as quintessential viewing for any lover of Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men (1955), The Ox-Bow Incident (1942) makes an excellent argument in support of the judicial system in modern democracy in addition to being an exceptionally gripping drama. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) tackles mob mentality and the pursuit of justice from a kangaroo court. When Kinkade is found to have been murdered, and his cattle rustled, a mob from his local town go out in search of the criminals. When the mob stumble across three men in the wild, they are quickly accused of the crimes and the mob forms a kangaroo court with the intention to hang the men.
Where The Ox-Bow Incident stands out is in it’s script and dialogue. Like 12 Angry Men (1955), it doesn’t matter whether the accused parties or guilty or innocent, but The Ox-Bow Incident (1942) tackles the combination of vigilante justice and the effects of mob mentality. Ox-Bow focuses on how quickly these men abandon civilised laws in favour of an uncivilised and unjust act. Like many westerns, Ox-Bow follows the men of the wild west that are being left behind as civilisation progresses into a more civilised world. This unjust mob isn’t only created because of mob mentality, but it’s a rebellion against mankind's progression into a new era, an era with rules and laws that the west often doesn’t have.
The progression of mankind is highlighted in the relationship between Major Tetley and his son, Gerald. The Major ultimately wants the men to hang and he refuses to listen to any possibility of their innocence. In opposition, his son Gerald stands with Henry Fonda’s Gil Carter in favour of giving the men a fair trial. This conflict between father and son is a display of the generational differences and the progression into a civilised society. It’s also a critique of hyper masculinity, the Major can’t possibly think he could have made a mistake, regardless of any lack of evidence. It’s his will that fans the flames from the mob and drives them onwards. As soon as the posse has left the town, the Major’s masculinity prevents him from deviating from path he’s already set on. Hiding in the subtext of The Ox-Bow Incident (1942) hides a poignant message about humanity, that sometimes pure stubbornness and an inability to listen, can have fatal consequence.
Henry Fonda’s Gil Carter is the protagonist of the piece, and as usual, Fonda’s performance is excellent. Carter’s regret and shame of being witness to the mob can often be seen plastered all over his face, but, his will to change mob mentality is still strong. Along with some minor characters, Carter and Arthur Davies played by Harry Davenport lead a minority of the posse in an attempt to prevent the lynching of the accused men. Again, the focus of this isn’t that they think the men are necessarily innocent, but it’s the principle that they deserve a fair trial. It’s the depiction of the callousness within the mob that drives the narrative. The Major, Jeff Farnley and the Deputy Sheriff shift the responsibility to each other. Particularly, the Major continues to try and force his son to take part despite his opposition. When the responsibility of the lynching is passed from one member of the posse to another, no individual feels like they are in control, convinced that they are bystanders.
It’s a surprise that this film has seemingly been cast aside and forgotten because it has such a human core. Perhaps, it’s the success of 12 Angry Men (1955) that has caused this film to be cast aside because they share similar themes. However, that would be to view Ox-Bow as lesser or inferior which would negate the nuances that Ox-Bow brings to the discussion of humanity, morality and justice. Ox-Bow was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards but lost to Casablanca (1942). This isn’t something to besmirch, Casablanca (1942) is often viewed as one of the best films of all time. It seems that Ox-Bow got lost in the shuffle, It’s too far from a typical western and obscure enough to avoid being listed in Western top 10 lists and without an Academy Award, it seems that Ox-Bow has been forgotten. This is one of the best films of the 1940s and it has aged far less than a lot of the classics from this era. It’s themes and story transcends the period that it’s set and should be viewed as a timeless piece of cinema, and, that’s why The Ox-Bow Incident (1942) is a forgotten gem.
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