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Bend of the River

Bend of the River

Western · Adventure · 1952

Two men with questionable pasts, Glyn McLyntock and his friend Cole, lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory...

Movie details

Bend of the River

“The greatness... the glory... the fury... of the Northwest Frontier!”

1952 Western · Adventure 1h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Two men with questionable pasts, Glyn McLyntock and his friend Cole, lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory...

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bend of the River?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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3:10 to Yuma

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After a band of drunken thugs overruns a small Indian Nation town, killing Reverend Goodnight and raping the women folk, Eula Goodnight enlists the aid of US Marshal Cogburn to hunt them down and bring her father's killers to justice.

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In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow—the first, and only, in the territory.

The Big Sky

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The Big Trail

The Big Trail

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Young scout Breck Coleman leads a wagon train along the dangerous trail to Oregon as he tries to get the affection of the beautiful pioneer Ruth Cameron and plans his revenge on the harsh scoundrels who murdered a friend of his in the past.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anthony Mann

Written by

Borden Chase

James Stewart

James Stewart

Glyn McLyntock

Arthur Kennedy

Arthur Kennedy

Emerson Cole

Julie Adams

Julie Adams

Laura Baile

Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson

Trey Wilson

Jay C. Flippen

Jay C. Flippen

Jeremy Baile

Lori Nelson

Lori Nelson

Marjie Baile

Chubby Johnson

Chubby Johnson

Cap'n Mello

Court is in session

Put Bend of the River on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.