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      Bend of the River

      1952 1 hr. 31 min. Western List
      100% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 79% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score Reformed outlaw Glyn McLyntock (James Stewart) has become a guide for farmers headed to Oregon. When he rescues thief Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) from execution, Cole joins him on the journey. Once the settlers arrive, they discover that a trader who was supposed to send them provisions is now trying to scam them. After McLyntock and Cole travel to Portland to forcibly retrieve the supplies, Cole betrays McLyntock and steals the goods himself. McLyntock pursues, ready for battle. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (103) audience reviews
      Steve D One of Jimmy's best westerns. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/24 Full Review Matthew B I often think of Anthony Mann's westerns as morality westerns. They are tough and punctuated with violence, and the hero is flawed, and not a straightforwardly good figure. Nonetheless the stories usually end happily, and the hero achieves some form of redemption. Bend of the River is different from the other Anthony Mann/James Stewart westerns. Here there is redemption for the hero, but that redemption has begun before the story even starts. The tension lies in whether the hero will be allowed to continue to be a reformed man, or whether his past actions will return to drive him away from decent society. This hero is Glyn McLyntock, and he has thrown in his lot with a caravan of settlers hoping to move to Oregon to start their lives again. This is the life that McLyntock wants, and he hopes to join them as a farmer or rancher. Indeed he appears to be the ideal companion for the settlers. He acts as guardian to them, and is greatly trusted by their leader, Jeremy Baile (Jay C Flippen). He may even be a suitable husband for Baile's daughter, Laura (Julie Adams), but there is no spoken agreement between them. The test of the Bailes' faith in McLyntock comes when he rescues a man from being lynched. McLyntock does not even care about the guilt or innocence of the man who about to be hanged. He rescues him simply because he does not like hanging, and it only at the end of the movie that we fully appreciate why when we see rope burns on McLyntock's own neck. The man that McLyntock rescues is Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy), and it is soon clear that the two men are familiar with one another's names, and have a professional respect for one another. The difference between McLyntock and Cole is that McLyntock is now reformed and trying to lead an honest life, whereas Cole is still operating on the wrong side of the law. The question remains what will happen when Baile discovers that McLyntock's background is the same as the detested Cole. Can he accept that McLyntock has genuinely changed, or will the discovery be sufficient to drive McLyntock out of this newly-forming community? We have to wait until the end of the movie to find out the answer. Bend of the River is more of a work of entertainment than an arthouse movie. However the script allows for some intelligent ideas, it boasts an excellent cast, and Anthony Mann pulls it together with lean, taut directing that keeps the story interesting and exciting, even during the scenes between the action setpieces. I wrote a fuller appreciation of the film on my blog page if you're interested in reading more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/bend-of-the-river-a-ka-where-the-river-bends-1952/ Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Outstanding movie, good family entertainment highly recommended, James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas, July 23, 2023 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/24/23 Full Review dave j The second of 5 Westerns writer/ director collaborated with James Stewart, he plays Glyn McLyntock (James Stewart) guiding a wagon train of settlers to a new life in the Oregon in the intentions of forming a new town. Saves an outlaw, Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) from an attempted hanging who ends up tagging along with them. Rock Hudson also stars as a professional gambler Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Liam D This proves that James Stewart (The Last Gangster, Airport '77) is more than an romantic lead or an a goody two shoes Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/22/22 Full Review david f I expected more from the talent here, and with the great reputation the film has. It's got cowboys, Indians, and a man with a past, all the trappings of a Western, including great scenery. But the plot about a guide with a mysterious, impenetrable background just didn't do much for me. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Photos

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      Bend of the River

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (10) Critics Reviews
      Bob Thomas Associated Press Bend of the River should draw no complaints from western fans and movie goers in general. Jul 24, 2019 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault A stunner — shockingly violent (the brutality always catches us off-guard), morally ambiguous, beautifully paced. Rated: A+ Nov 23, 2022 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Mann creates a beautiful spectacle, in which the landscape, colored in Technicolor, is as essential as the characters who submit to hope, betrayal and the greed typical of the Wild West. Full review in Spanish Rated: 7/10 Feb 5, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Part of the growing breed of oaters that added psychological underpinnings to the usual shoot-'em-up antics. Rated: 3/4 Apr 21, 2019 Full Review Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy It's like Stewart was pouring every negative emotion he felt over the past ten years into one moment. Rated: 8/10 Jul 5, 2014 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Against Mann's splendors, as always, lie the elusiveness of civilization, the flux of alliances, and the purgative wrestling of warriors Apr 6, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Reformed outlaw Glyn McLyntock (James Stewart) has become a guide for farmers headed to Oregon. When he rescues thief Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) from execution, Cole joins him on the journey. Once the settlers arrive, they discover that a trader who was supposed to send them provisions is now trying to scam them. After McLyntock and Cole travel to Portland to forcibly retrieve the supplies, Cole betrays McLyntock and steals the goods himself. McLyntock pursues, ready for battle.
      Director
      Anthony Mann
      Screenwriter
      Borden Chase
      Production Co
      Universal International Pictures
      Genre
      Western
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 1, 2016