MovieRob’s Birthday Bash of Favorites 2022 (#24 of 49) – The Ox-Bow Incident (1942) – Encore Review 2

January is my birthday month, so I decided that I would try and do something quite unique and special for this milestone in my life. I will be turning 48, so I decided to watch 49 (48+1 for good luck) of my all time favorite movies in a random order over the course of this month. I have reviewed every one of these films already, but I will now give new perspectives on them all. Every one of these films received a 10/10 scoring from me. Some of these reviews will contain spoilers so if you have never seen them before, I recommend that you read some of my previous reviews of the film that are spoiler free before reading on…

Hope you enjoy!

This is film #24 of the 49.

Let’s continue with…

“Down in Texas, where I come from, we just go out and get a man and string him up.” – Red

Initial Viewing Memories – Saw this on DVD in the 90’s and was amazed at how powerful such a simple story could be.

Number of Times Seen – 4 (Cable in the 90’s, 8 May 2013, 18 Sep 2019 and 14 Jan 2022)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – Two strangers in a Western town join a posse seeking murderers and cattle rustlers and once they catch their prey, the posse must decide whether to wait for justice in town or do it themselves.

My Take on it – Such a powerful and moving premise that works so well.

The film has a relatively short run time yet still has enough time to introduce and develop the various characters who will debate the issues before them.

On a moral level, this story is really enjoyable because it allows the viewer to form an opinion based in the same facts that the characters have, yet the characters seem to forget that there always can be more information that they are not privy to out in the wilderness.

The emotional aspects of the film also work in trying to find a way for these characters to get an understanding of the repercussions of their various ideas instead of doing things on a whim or in haste.

Henry Fonda does a wonderful job in the lead role and brings a neutral look at the situation at hand.

This may not be a well known film, but it’s still among my all time favorites because it has to the ability to do so much with very little and manages to take up that challenge and shine due to it.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Henry Fonda always regarded this as one of his favorite films. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)