The Oxbow incident is a movie about frontier justice. It shows how people can lose all sense of reason, when they become a mob. It stars Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn and Henry Davenport. It was directed by William Wellman.
Gil Carter, played by Henry Fonda, comes into town with his friend, Art Croft, played by Harry Morgan, looking for his ex-girlfriend. When they are in town a man says that a rancher, named Larry Kincaid, has been murdered. The sheriff is out of town, so the deputy takes matters into his own hands and forms a posse. While looking for the murderers, the posse sees a stagecoach, and stops it. One of its passengers is Rose, Gil’s ex-girlfriend, played by Mary Beth Hughes. She is traveling with her new husband. The posse lets the stage go, and they proceed with their mission along with a broken hearted Gil. The posse finds cattle, at Oxbow Bend with the Kincaid brand, and catch three men sleeping, and wake them. They are questioned by Major Tetley about the cattle. Donald Martin, played by Dana Andrews, is asked how he has possession of the cattle with Kincaid’s brand. Donald Martin says they were sold to him, but he doesn’t have the bill of sale. He insists that Larry Kincaid said he would give it to him. The major asks one of the posse, if Kincaid ever did that. He says Kincaid immediately gave a bill of sale. This is all the major needs to convince the posse that they should be hung immediately. A man, Arthur Davies, who joined the posse, to make sure that the men were brought to justice; asks men to stand with him, who want the suspects brought back for trial. He only gets six men, which includes Gil Carter, Art Croft and Major Tetley’s son. The condemned man, Donald Martin, writes a letter to his wife, and gives it to Arthur Davies, who reads it and is convinced that Martin couldn’t have killed Kincaid. He tries to persuade the posse, but they wont listen, and proceed to hang the men. Juan Martinez, one of the condemned men tries to escape, but is shot and wounded. When he is captured, they find out that he speaks English, because they ask how he got Larry Kincaid’s gun. Major Tetley wants his son, Gerald, played by William Eythe, to participate in the lynchings, but he doesn’t do the job well, and the major slaps him in disgust. The three men are hanged and the posse rides back to town. When they come back, they meet the sheriff, and tell him that they hung the rustlers who killed Larry Kincaid. The sheriff informs them that Kincaid isn’t dead, just wounded. He also says that the men who shot Kincaid, are in custody. The sheriff asks Arthur Davies, who was involved, and he says, “All but seven.” The sheriff looks at the posse and says “ God better have mercy on you.You won’t get any from me.”
The posse goes back to the saloon, and drink without saying anything, their consciences heavy for killing three innocent men. Major Tetley goes back to his house, and locks his son out. His son then yells at him, telling him how he feels about him. Major Tetley then kills himself. In the saloon, Gil reads Martin’s letter to Art, because Art can’t read. The posse listens in stunned silence. Gil and Art then leave to deliver the letter to Martin’s wife.
Henry Fonda receives top billing in this film, but he is overshadowed by Frank Conroy, playing Major Tetley, and Henry Davenport playing Arthur Davies. Both of them are great, playing people on opposite ends of the spectrum. Frank Conroy shows the major as almost satanic in his goal to persuade the posse to make their own justice. Henry Davenport as Arthur Davies, is nearly saintly in his compassionate plea to see justice meted out in a court of law. Also a presence is Jane Darwell, as Ma Greer. She does her best to get the posse to hang the suspects. She seems to be a loose version of Calamity Jane.
The director, William Wellman, gets good shots of the seven men, standing together for justice. It’s also a a poignant scene after the posse has served up their brand of justice, showing the reverend, played by Leigh Whipper praying for the dead men’s souls. Also the end scene, when the posse is shown in the saloon, with blank looks on their faces, when Donald Martin’s letter is read.
The Oxbow Incident remains as a reminder that we live in a society of laws. If these laws are ignored or broken, then we have to live with consequences that can be unsettling. It also says that voices of reason should be listened to, and not to someone who believes in their own brand of justice. Even though this film is set in a western town in 1880, it still makes a bold statement about societal breakdown.