Bend Of The River (1952)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(2,958 ratings)

Another of the collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River casts Stewart as a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Arthur Kennedy, a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in… More Another of the collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River casts Stewart as a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Arthur Kennedy, a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in Portland, Stewart gets in the middle of a scam operated by trader Howard Petrie, who has reneged on his promise to ship goods to the settlers. Unable to take action through legal channels, Stewart and farmer Jay C. Flippen steal the provision and scurry back to the settlement by boat. On their return, they discover that Kennedy has sold out to the crooked Petrie and intends to reclaim the supplies, taking Flippen and his daughter Julie Adams as hostages to ensure safe passage. It's up to Stewart to turn the tables on his former friend and save the day. As in the other Stewart-Mann productions, Jimmy breaks away from his usual easygoing screen persona to play a tough, self-serving rugged individual, whose true motives and loyalties remain in doubt until the very end of the film. Bend of the River was adapted by Borden Chase from Bill Gulick's novel Bend of the Snake. Watch for Stepin Fetchit, Rock Hudson, Royal Dano, and Frances Bavier in minor roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Anthony Mann
Written By: Borden Chase, William Gulick
Genres: Western, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 13, 1952 Wide
On DVD: May 6, 2003

Critic Reviews

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
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
The screenplay keeps the simple tale moving at a furious clip.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
One of five masterful Westerns Anthony Mann made with James Stewart.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
One of the greatest Westerns ever.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

Furious! One great western. Apparently, the road to redemption involves kicking all kinds of ass.
Stephen M

The second and most visually breathtaking of the Anthony Mann/James Stewart westerns. In this one, Jimmy plays a former Missouri border raider guiding a wagon train of intrepid farmers up to Oregon, where he hopes to bury his past and start a new life as a rancher. Depicting the… More
The second and most visually breathtaking of the Anthony Mann/James Stewart westerns. In this one, Jimmy plays a former Missouri border raider guiding a wagon train of intrepid farmers up to Oregon, where he hopes to bury his past and start a new life as a rancher. Depicting the settlers' journey as the kind of long, hard slog usually reserved for a Werner Herzog movie, it is astonishing how much action and adventure Mann manages to cram into these 90 minutes. The core of the movie, however, is the uneasy but mutually respectful friendship between Stewart and Arthur Kennedy, a fellow border raider Jimmy rescues from a lynch mob. The script cleverly uses Kennedy, who is much less eager to reform than Stewart, to illustrate the kind of a man Jimmy must once have been, and the crueller side of his nature he is desperately fighting to suppress. The only real weakness here is Rock Hudson's character, a callow professional gambler standing at a crossroads between a virtuous or a wicked path in life (Stewart's or Kennedy's). I can see why he's in the picture but he's not really given anything to do, and you'll notice that Hudson is always conveniently out of the way whenever Stewart and Kennedy butt heads, presumably to defer his taking of a side for as long as possible.
Michael G

Another great Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann western. Not their best work together, but definitely not worth passing up. Stewart plays the All-American Nice Guy/Bad Ass trying to get some supplies to settlers. Along the way he fights the elements, greed and those overcome by it. Bend of… More
Another great Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann western. Not their best work together, but definitely not worth passing up. Stewart plays the All-American Nice Guy/Bad Ass trying to get some supplies to settlers. Along the way he fights the elements, greed and those overcome by it. Bend of the River also showcases Stewart's dark side and the war path he goes on at the end is great stuff. And a great performance by a young Rock Hudson.
xGary X

Another solid western from James Stewart and Anthony Mann that'll seem more than a little familiar to anyone who has seen Red River, but deals nicely with the usual themes of revenge and redemption.
Jeffrey M

One of James Stewart's best westerns, and another great teaming between him and director Anthony Mann. It's fast moving, with excellent cinematography, good performances all around, and a solid script. James Stewart was completely believable as the bad ass trying to leave… More
One of James Stewart's best westerns, and another great teaming between him and director Anthony Mann. It's fast moving, with excellent cinematography, good performances all around, and a solid script. James Stewart was completely believable as the bad ass trying to leave his past, and is matched well against men of similar backgrounds but dubious character. The plot is a simple one, but is kept interesting through twists and double crosses that work because of a script that succeeds in its characterizations. 4/5 Stars
Matthew Y

Bend of the River is my favorite of the Mann/Stewart collaborations. A great storyline that involves multiple double crosses and betrayals, themes that ponder if a man can change, and heralded performances by the leads. The movie stands tall in the Western genre and James… More
Bend of the River is my favorite of the Mann/Stewart collaborations. A great storyline that involves multiple double crosses and betrayals, themes that ponder if a man can change, and heralded performances by the leads. The movie stands tall in the Western genre and James Stewart's transformation from heroic antagonist to lurking threat sets the groundwork for other western classics like Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales. Bend of the River is a film that's quality certainly exceeds it's reputation.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            James Stewart as Glyn McLintock

            Arthur Kennedy as Emerson Cole

            Julie Adams as Laura Baile

            Rock Hudson as Troy Wilson

            Lori Nelson as Margie Baile

            Henry Morgan as Shorty

            Jay C. Flippen as Jeremy Baile

            Stepin Fetchit as Adam

            Chubby Johnson as Capt. Mello

            Howard Petrie as Tom Hendricks

            Frances Bavier as Mrs. Prentiss

            Jack Lambert as Red

            Royal Dano as Long Tom

            Frank Chase as Wasco

            Frank Ferguson as Don Grundy

            Gregg Barton as Miner

            Donald Kerr as Barker

            Cliff Lyons as Willie

            Philo McCullough as Prospector

            Dal McKennon
            
            Lillian Randolph as Aunt Tildy

            Britt Wood as Roustabout

            Denver Dixon as Extra

            George Taylor as Prospector

            Harry Morgan
            
See full cast