
Bend of the River
1952, Western, 1h 31m
8 Reviews 2,500+ RatingsYou might also like
Bend of the River Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Glyn McLyntock
Emerson Cole
Trey Wilson
Laura Baile
Marjie Baile
Jeremy Baile
Critic Reviews for Bend of the River
All Critics (8) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (8)
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Bend of the River should draw no complaints from western fans and movie goers in general.
July 24, 2019 | Full Review… -
Part of the growing breed of oaters that added psychological underpinnings to the usual shoot-'em-up antics.
April 21, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
It's like Stewart was pouring every negative emotion he felt over the past ten years into one moment.
July 5, 2014 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review… -
Against Mann's splendors, as always, lie the elusiveness of civilization, the flux of alliances, and the purgative wrestling of warriors
April 6, 2010 | Full Review… -
The screenplay keeps the simple tale moving at a furious clip.
July 7, 2008 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review… -
One of five masterful Westerns Anthony Mann made with James Stewart.
January 17, 2008 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Bend of the River
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Oct 09, 2015Some minor flaws aside, (one dated racial typecast character, a simplistic mining- agriculture dichotomy) I consider this one of the best westerns you'll ever see, and a great movie outside even its genre trappings. One of the most interesting facets of this film is the interplay between its gun wielding characters, and their shaky alliance which unfolds in a riveting way. Bend of the River also contains one of James Stewart's darkest on screen moments, and it comes off as both believable and awesome.Paris S Super Reviewer
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Feb 19, 2012One 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 StarsJeffrey M Super Reviewer
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May 10, 2009The 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.Stephen M Super Reviewer
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Apr 03, 2009one of the greatest of the stewart/mann westerns. arthur kennedy is really great here as a slippery outlaw with a twinkle in his eyeStella D Super Reviewer
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