“The Oxbow Incident” Is A Haunting Story of Justice Gone Wrong

Running at a trim hour 74 minutes, and primarily shot across two or three distinct settings, The Oxbow Incident might seem like a small film. But its emotional impact is devastating. This is a classic Western, but it really is underrated as a classic film. Very few movies have told a story this chilling as simply and succinctly. It’s a movie that feels timeless because of its emphasis on humanity and human nature. It also feels very relevant because of the harsh nature of the world we currently live in, where punishment precludes judgement.

The Oxbow Incident starts simply enough- two cowboys, Gil Carter and Art Croft, played by Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan, ride into town and enter the local saloon. Pretty quickly they find out there’s nothing to do there. The bartender puts it best- “There’s 5 things to do here-eat, sleep, drink, play poker or fight.” It’s heavily mentioned, early on, that there are no women in this town. It’s just a town of frustrated, angry cowboys. And that’s how we start.

As is tradition, there’s a fight, a guy gets woken up with a glass of water and then someone runs in with some news. A man has been killed! As any town full of angry, sexually repressed men would do, they form a mob to go and hunt this/these killer/killers down. And they make it pretty clear early on that they are not jiving with the idea of anything except a straight up execution, despite the resistance of some of the older, wiser men in town.

At the head of this mob is Majot Tetley. He is pretty much immediately established as the villain of our tale. He literally wears a Confederate uniform the whole time and says mildly homophobic things about his son for questioning the nature of capital punishment. As a villain, he’s great. He folds the worst aspects of toxic masculinity and blind arrogance into well rounded bad guy, who is very believable. He is the definition of lawful evil, right down to his little Civil War costume.

Anywho, the mob goes out exploring and looking for people to harass. First they find a carriage with some newly weds. This scene felt odd and I didn’t understand why it was in the movie. The husband is very proper and posh, which contrasts with Gil, who reveals that he…”knows” the guy’s wife. Now in 1943, this could he met at the barber shop, or….like, he “biblically” knows her. It’s never elaborated and they don’t show up again. All we know is that they are not strangers.

Then, the mob finds three guys sleeping near a herd of cattle that turns out to be the dead man’s cattle. Within about 10 minutes the men are learning about the crime they committed and pleading their innocence. At this point the movie becomes a trial film, though it spends more time ruminating on law and order than actually presenting evidence for or against. That’s fine though, because it’s obvious these guys are innocent. The only problem is no one believes them. I’m not gonna spoil the rest of the movie, but let me tell you, it gets bleak. This is not a movie for a date night.

Overall, this movie is excellent. The script is tight, funny, and profound in some places. There are some really great bits, such as when Henry Fonda’s character pukes after taking a shot and complains that “Great, now I gotta start over!” In many ways, it feels like a stageplay, with few settings and dialogue driven scenes. There’s also some excellent underlying themes and imagery in this film. There is a lack of women, which is painfully felt throughout the movie, and throws the question of gender as a factor in the film. Major Tetley’s Confederate uniform, combined with his “men are men” schtick is a brilliant bit of writing that evokes the idea of the Lost Cause and connects it to toxic masculinity. It really is a masterful screenplay, and in general this movie wins “Best Picture” if Casablanca doesn’t exist.

The scenes are well shot and superbly lit, which is important because so much of the movie actually takes place at night. The acting is great. Every actor in this really shows out, even the ones who are just on screen for a single scene. It’s worth noting that this movie has a very peculiar stat to it's name. It is one of two movies to be nominated solely for “Best Picture” at the Oscars. The film it lost to? That would be Casablanca.

So, overall, I recommend this movie. It’s an underrated classic, a great Western and good story, even if it is a little depressing. It’s a shorter film, great for a weekday when you might feel like watching something a little challenging before bed. It does everything right and checks every box for what a “good movie” should be, presenting with themes, ideas and imagery they will think about later. The Oxbow Incident is streaming in some places for money, but you could just watch it free on Youtube like me.