An intelligent adult and impressively tense Western based on a true story by Walter Van Clark . A top-notch cast under superb direction by William A Wellman makes this movie excellent in every aspect ,being shot on 20th Century Fox studios that serves to increase the mood of darkness and claustrophobic tension . This famous and prestigious picture from the 'Golden Age of the classic Western' was splendidly directed by William Wellman with an extraordinary plethora of actors who deliver unforgettable performances . It is set in 1885 Nevada , where takes place a terrifying nightmare when a popular rancher is killed and a mob of angry townspeope can't wait for the Marshall to find the murderers . Then , some of them attempt to take justice on their hands and quick to condemn a trio (Dana Andrews , Anthony Quinn, Francis Ford) of drifters on a lousy trial without solid evidences , being accused of rustlers and killers . As they judge those considering guilties , despite the protests of a good guy called Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and his colleague Donald Martin (Henry Morgan) . As they are posthumously proven innocent and Carter slowly manages to convince the others and he holds out with a verdict of not guilty, thus setting the stage for arguments and reasons why or why not the three detained men may be guilty . As two different groups are struggling to decide the fate of the suspect people who allegedly killed a rancher . Lynch law rules the mob ¡ . It'll chill your blood with terror amd make it boil with fury ¡

Awesome , brilliant studio of a mob mentality with strong individual characterizations , and paced in psychological tendry . But for all the obviousness of its meaning , including a simplistically liberal message , which once made it seem a landmark in the adult Western , the picture is really intriguing , not merely because William A Wellman's tersely economic narration of his material , but because 20th Century Fox made a decission to cut budget and reducing costs by filming it utterly on a studio set .This is a decidedly uncelebratory portrayal of the badness , of the angry crowd and the wrong and merciless desire for vengeance . Indeed , it influenced in Noir Film genre , as its affinity to ¨Noir¨ is extremely evident and not only in the dark shadowy cinematography , but in the gallery of sombre roles and grotesques that populates this provoking portrait of the frontier spirit .Though a long time of the movie being shot at an only location , it never lacks for taut , suspense , intrigue and inspired direction . The confrontation results to be tense , charged and riveting . Being masterfully written for the screen by Lamar Trotti , also producer , who writes an interesing and complex script from the novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. Being made in limited budget , as head of 20th Century-Fox Darryl F. Zanuck overcame his objections to the contentious nature of the film by insisting that it be made cheaply on studio sets . Interestingly , the movie's characterizations and dynamics can be seen to prefigure ¨12 angry men¨ by Sidney Lumet , that is less tragic but just as moving . Here Henry Fonda gives a magnificent acting as a cowboy with a conscience in an issue that is not as obviously clear . Although his character was originally offered to Gary Cooper, who turned it down. Being a choral film here appears notorious secondaries such as : Anthony Quinn , Mary Beth Hughes, William Eythe , Jane Darwell , Marc Lawrence ,Harry Davenport , Matt Briggs , Frank Conroy , Victor Kilian , Rondo Hatton , Francis Ford , among others .

It packs an adequate cinematography in Black and White and in overblown and amazing deep by cameraman Arthur Miller . It contains an attractive , thrilling and lyric musical score by Cyril Mockridge . The motion picture, a big 20th Century Fox spectacle well produced by Lamar Trotti , was competentingly directed by William A Wellman who bought the rights himself, and proceeded to make the film "his" way and was a box-office flop. It had several Oscar nominations ; however , being the last movie ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture which received no other Academy Award nominations . William made very good films , as Wellman directed all kind of genres as Wartime : ¨Alas¨ , ¨Battleground¨ , ¨The story of GI Joe¨ , ¨Lafayette Escadrilla¨ , Drama : ¨Nothing sacred¨, ¨Blood Alley¨ , ¨Good my lady¨ , ¨Magic Town and the Oscarized ¨A Star is born¨ , his greatest success , Adventure : ¨Beau Geste¨ , Gangster movie : ¨Public enemy ¨, and Western : ¨Buffalo Bill¨ , ¨, ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨ , ¨Across the wide Missouri¨ , ¨Westerward the woman¨ , ¨¨Yellow sky¨,and this¨The Ox-Box incident¨, among others . Rating : 8/10 . Being included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. Above average , worthwhile watching

This is simply one of the finest westerns ever made and at only 75 minutes, it gets right to the heart of the story without a lot of lolly-gagging (nice western-talk, eh?).

The heroes of the story are Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan who are two strangers that happen into town just as a posse is being formed to locate some killers who rustled some cattle. The town is 100% gungho about hanging the first people they meet instead of waiting to verify the peoples' story. Standing up against this crazed mob is Fonda, and to a little lesser extent Morgan.

I won't really get into what happens next, as it might spoil the movie for you. However, the performances and object lessons in the movie are timeless.

PS--Note that "Juan" was played by Anthony Quinn--not Caesar Romero like one reviewer stated.

I happen to see Henry Fonda years ago give a lecture and he mentioned that The Ox-bow Incident was one film he was very proud of. As well he should have been. It's a great, but very untypical western at least at the point in time it was made.

Henry Fonda, half joking and half serious, said that he did a lot to persuade Darryl F. Zanuck to let him film this story. It was done on a very modest budget and is a short film for what is ostensibly an A picture. Zanuck was right, it did lose money during a time when the public wanted patriotic flagwaving stuff during World War II. But now it is a deserved classic.

The plot simply put is that rumor of killing and cattle rustling spark a lynch mob to go and find the culprits. The film is a study of the people in that mob and how they react before, during and after they find three men whom they deem responsible for the crime.

This is a story of very ordinary men, no great western heroes here. In fact Henry Fonda and sidekick Harry Morgan are just a pair of ordinary cowpokes who ride into town and Fonda has a mean disposition. The heat and general aridness of Nevada don't help it. He starts a fight with another mean dispositioned individual played by Marc Lawrence and they have a running conflict themselves through out the film.

And Fonda's gal has run off. And while the mob is chasing the culprits they run into the woman played by Mary Beth Hughes. She's got herself a snotty rich husband with a hatchet faced sister. That burns Fonda up even more.

But the idea of lynching people without trial or some kind of due process rankles a few souls. Fonda's not been exactly a cowboy hero in this film. But conscience can exist in the least of us and it's what makes man a noble creature some times.

That's what I believe director William Wellman was trying to convey in this film and he conveyed with grace and style. This modest black and white film is a timeless classic and it will always be so.

It will be so because too often is the temptation to shortcut the legal system everywhere and this film is a dire warning against that.