The Ox-Bow Incident (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #39 extract: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)



The Ox-Bow Incident is a powerful Western drama based on true events which seeks to find the true face of justice and the true conscious of the law. Moreover, this uses premeditation as an anchoring theme to explore motivation in its characters, and to subvert the roles of much-seen archetypes present classical Westerns. This means that the strong, laconic and seemingly honourable are not the heroes of this story. With World War 2 as this films context, it then seems as if the Western is being used to allegorically question the ways of humanity and its affinity for violence before peaceful resolution. 
Everything about this film is more or less faultless; the expressive noir-esque cinematography, the rounded characters, the confining sets, the striking mise en scène, the tight, reflective script and the precise cinematic language - all brilliant. Without hesitation, I then strongly recommend this.

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