Bend of the River

• Directed by Anthony Mann
• January 23, 1952
• Based on the 1950 novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick

A cowboy risks his life to get confiscated supplies to homesteaders after gold is found in the region.

I love old-fashioned Westerns. Tough people. Dangerous situations. Troubled heroes that achieve victory by stepping up to a situation and giving it their all. Clear delineations between good and evil. Such is the case with Bend of the River. While it is not saints versus sinners, it is those with a code of ethics versus those out for themselves.

Glyn McLyntock (Jimmy Stewart) is a reformed outlaw helping a group of settlers through some very dangerous territory. Little is initially said about his reasons why he is doing the task but with Stewart you understand it is about getting a second chance. It is not until later you see why he is seeking that second chance though in hindsight it is blatantly obvious. The meat of the story centers around McLyntock’s efforts to aid settlers who are screwed out of their purchased supplies and with winter approaching things are becoming desperate. If they don’t get that food they’re dead. Early on McLyntock’s path crosses that of Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) who is about to be hanged for stealing a horse.

Director Anthony Mann creates two similar characters whose paths eventually diverge though both have the same opportunities at a better future than the one they were once looking at. It’s not uncommon in older films for them to also serve as morality tales. There are themes here of redemption as well as giving others the chance to be redeemed. The thing is you don’t do so blindly. Nor do you refuse to do so. Proceed but proceed with caution. Not every person with a questionable past is beyond change. On the other hand not every person will change.

All the significant characters on a ‘wrong path’ have the ability at a better life or even a type of redemption no matter how far they have fallen. Laura Baile (Julie Adams) who has decided to stay in Portland and succumbed to the seedier side as well as professional gambler Trey Wilson (Rock Hudson) and Cole associate both have opportunities to do better. A bit of a lesson there.

Glyn has decided to change after his outlaw ways nearly cost him his life though they keep that hidden until the end. Glyn and Emerson are on parallel paths with Emerson being slightly behind. The difference is that Glyn is trying to pull him along while Emerson keeps looking for an easy way. Trey is a similar character but is less developed than the two mains and truthfully impacts the film little.

Mann does not waste much time establishing things which is both good AND bad. Like at 90 minutes you could be forgiven for missing the potential romance between Glyn and Laura. Not sure where or when they got attracted to each other. They do better with Laura and Emerson than they do with Glyn and Laura.

If I can find any flaw in this it is the evil turn by Shorty (Harry Morgan), Red (Jack Lambert) and Long Tom (Royal Dano). That it happened twice came off as redundant as well as stretching things out unnecessarily. They already looked a bit dangerous. Maybe moments of grumbling and complaining to build the tension rather than the group keeping these clearly untrustworthy people around.

And then there is Laura who appears to be waffling between a life of ill repute and trying to settle down with a pit boss or going back to live with mom and dad before hooking up with the family approved Jimmy Stewart. It all seems pretty fair weather on her part and I’m not sure if you would even want to settle down with her all things considered. She is drawn to the next flashy object or even the most convenient option. I would have liked it if Glyn essentially told her to “Get bent” and went off to live his life and find somebody new. And more loyal.

While there are some issues, Bend of the River is a very enjoyable Jimmy Stewart Western with the weak points not being serious enough to harm the movie. If you’re a fan of Jimmy Stewart or just good Westerns, this one is worth checking out.