Runtime: 75 minutes
Directed by: William A. Wellman
Starring: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan
From: 20th Century Fox
A great movie and parable that just happens to be a Western.
This was another motion picture recorded on the DVR, a few weeks ago on the FXM Channel one morning. While it is currently on the Criterion Channel, it is nice to see something via other methods rather than streaming if I can. It is a highly regarded genre effort which is not typical (at least at the time) yet it could have worked in other genres with a few changes. However, it seems most appropriate for a Western as it uses some familiar tropes, including “frontier justice”, lynch mobs, a posse, etc. Lamentably, this is one of the many cases where I have to note how it seems that little has changed between the early 40's and now when it comes to such reactions. Just look at places like Twitter if you want to see people rush to judgment without all the facts present...
The leads are Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and Art Croft (Harry Morgan); those pals roll into a small Nevada town in 1885. Soon, everyone there hears that rancher Larry Kinkaid not only had his cattle stolen, but that those thieves murdered him. Due to circumstances, a posse forms, although it's more a lynch mob. Some are gung-ho about hanging those SOB's while some say there shouldn't be a rush to judgment and those people need to be put on trial... while the rest are in the middle like Carter. Eventually three suspects are found and there are reasons to believe they are guilty, although it is weak evidence and no smoking gun. Carter is on the sidelines watching it, although he will probably be an audience surrogate in that he reacts and like the viewer their mind will eventually be made up on guilt or innocence.
Without revealing the outcome, this is a powerful piece which addresses topics that for certain are not any less relevant now. What if the majority believe that suspects are guilty and several signs (no matter how flimsy) seem to suggest that but afterwards are found to be innocent? Carter was one of a few characters here that had to wrestle with such a thought; it's a solid cast overall that includes Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport and early in his career Anthony Quinn, but both Fonda and Dana Andrews-as the lead of the suspects-are tremendous in their roles. At a mere75 minutes long there's little time wasted... in fact, the only thing which wasn't really needed was a brief subplot involving Carter's ex.
All the characters are interesting and play distinct personalities; it was fascinating to see everyone interact w/ each other. The final few minutes that are especially powerful help make this a great motion picture that as many have said would make for an excellent double-bill with 12 Angry Men.
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