US 75m Dir: William A. Wellman Key Cast: Henry Fonda
Based on: The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tillburg Clark (Novel)
Twentieth Century Fox held back from releasing this film after it was finished because they weren't sure how to promote it. Westerns have a reputation for being fun and lightweight but that description couldn't be further away from this film.
Two cowboys show up in town and draw suspicion as cows have been rustled recently. When it appears the rustlers have killed a man the two cowboys join a posse that has formed, determined to seek justice. The posse finds three men with the stolen cows and prepares to hang them.
The film is hugely effective at the build-up. So much of this film is build-up- once the characters and premise is set up we spend the majority of the running time with the three prisoners as the posse decide what they are going to do with them. It's pretty clear that they are going to execute them without a trial but there are a handful of voices that disagree and it takes a while before it actually happens. It's deeply uncomfortable to watch and has a vibe along the lines of <i>Lord of the Flies</i>- this is a terrible side of humanity but they just can't help it.
The film could end with the inevitable hanging but things feel even darker when it is revealed without doubt that the men were completely innocent. We see the posse utterly broken by what they have done and Henry Fonda as one of the visiting cowboys reads out the central victims' letter which muses on justice.
The film proves that you a Western can tell a hugely important psychological story. It is a film which highlights the importance of a fair trial and I think to an extent argues against execution- you can always release a prisoner but you can't bring someone back to life. It feels like it still has modern relevance what with social media users deciding the outcome of high-profile trials before they even take place.
It's a difficult watch and it's difficult to imagine settling down for an evening of entertainment in front of it. But it's so powerful and was important in re-defining what a Western could be. Clint Eastwood has said it is his favourtie film and you can trace many of it's themes in Unforgiven.
Dark and uncomfortable viewing but a story which is expertly told by all involved.
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