The Ox-Bow Incident
A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.
Critics Sentiment
The three innocent men are hanged at sunrise in Ox-Bow Canyon
Sheriff Risley reveals Kinkaid is alive and real killers arrested
The devastating drop from the powerful lynching sequence to the crushing revelation that the men were innocent creates the film's most jarring emotional impact.
The Ox-Bow Incident builds steadily in tension and moral complexity from its efficient opening to its devastating climax at the lynching. The film reaches its emotional and artistic peak during the execution sequence, which reviewers consistently praise as masterful filmmaking, before delivering a crushing blow with the revelation of the men's innocence. The conclusion provides meaningful resolution through the letter reading and the characters' attempts at redemption.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 44
Henry Fonda
Gil Carter
Dana Andrews
Donald Martin
Mary Beth Hughes
Rose Mapen/Rose Swanson
Anthony Quinn
Juan Martínez/Francisco Morez
William Eythe
Gerald Tetley
Harry Morgan
Art Croft
Jane Darwell
Ma Grier
Matt Briggs
Judge Daniel Tyler
Harry Davenport
Arthur Davies
Frank Conroy
Maj. Tetley
Marc Lawrence
Jeff Farnley
Paul Hurst
Monty Smith
Victor Kilian
Darby
Chris-Pin Martin
Poncho
Willard Robertson
Sheriff Risley
Ted North
Joyce
C.E. Anderson
Posse Member (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews
Bartlett (uncredited)
Hank Bell
Red (uncredited)
William Benedict
Greene (uncredited)
Crew
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