An excellent introduction to the many Jimmy Stewart and Antony Mann collaborations; it was the first Stewart-Mann western I saw and it's remained my favorite. Mann is such an underrated director and a master of this genre, but only western fans give him recognition. He never put a foot wrong in a western. Consider The Naked Spur, Winchester '73, Far Country, The Man from Laramie. Not a dud among them. Bend of the River feels like the most accessible and entertaining of them all, and perhaps the least dark since the Mann-Stewart westerns were known for psychological angst and intensity. There is that trademark psychological depth balanced with traditional western tropes. I was enraptured by the grandeur of scale in this picture, from its epic storytelling to the variety of landscapes as Stewart accompanies a wagon train of settlers across Oregon. Mann takes his time without seeming self-indulgent when showing lush mountains, rivers, forests, and snowy regions, as well as a unique glimpse of a 19th-century Portland town replete with a ferry boat straight out of New Orleans. It all looks spectacular in technicolor.

At the start of the film Stewart saves a man he knows (Arthur Kennedy) from being lynched in the mountains. Both return to camp with the settlers Stewart is accompanying, and they join forces to fight some Indians. Innocence and serenity is disrupted by a shocking moment when one of the young women in camp (Julie Adams) is hit with a Shoshone arrow. Stewart and Kennedy slip out of camp like ninjas and we see them hunt down and dispatch the Indians in stealthy fashion. It's gripping to watch a couple seasoned frontiersmen at work. They're both smart and have respect for each other's abilities. Earlier before the Indian attack, they hear bird calls in the distance and a woman in camp naively thinks it's a bird. The men know better and give each other knowing glances before moving away and assessing what's out there, guessing under their breath what tribe, how many there are, etc. It's all good stuff.

As the film's themes are established, we learn that Kennedy was a border raider. The settler leader doesn't trust him and thinks men are like apples: a rotten one infects all the others. Stewart disagrees. They reach Portland where Julie Adams--the girl hit with an arrow--recuperates. Kennedy leaves to find gold in California and Stewart makes arrangements with a man in town, Hendricks, to have supplies sent to the settlers' camp. New characters are introduced including Rock Hudson as a Maverick-looking gambler. Some comic relief plays out between the ferryboat captain and his black hand played by Stepin Fetchit. Time passes and back at the settlers' camp the supplies still haven't been delivered. They need them before winter, so Stewart revisits Portland to find that the town has changed. Thanks to a gold rush nearby, everyone's attitudes have coarsened and they're corrupted to an extent. Julie Adams has recovered and works as a token cashier for the saloon. Kennedy also works there on the floor. Hendricks, the man who seemed so amiable earlier about sending supplies is now stern and irritable. He refuses to let Stewart load supplies onto the ferry and when he finds out Stewart already paid some dockhands to do it, guns are pulled and a fight breaks out.

Kennedy saves Stewart's life again and Rock Hudson joins them. The three back out of the saloon in unison like the three musketeers and I wondered if Howard Hawks copied their dynamics in Rio Bravo. They escape on the ferry in rousing fashion and afterwards set up an ambush for the pursuing Hendricks. The dockhands that helped load the supplies were inadvertently dragged along during the escape and Stewart hires them to drive the wagons. Along the way, miners show up and offer exorbitant sums for the supplies and the hired men mutiny. Kennedy also has a sudden change of character, tempted by the money, and he double-crosses Stewart, leaving him without a horse or gun in the wilderness. Kennedy takes charge of the wagons and a betrayed Stewart tracks them. Suspense builds as he recovers a rifle, gets a horse with the assistance of Julie Adams, and the hunted men lose their cool at being prey. Stewart picks off the miners and hired men and kills Kennedy in a melee.

During the film, Stewart's own shady background is revealed that he too was a border raider. This becomes a potential crisis when the settler leader learns of Stewart's dark past. However, in a satisfying conclusion, Stewart finds redemption and the settler leader realizes that some men aren't like apples. Everything about this movie pleased me and I found it a fresh and thrilling western. Stewart is a compelling presence on screen, playing a good man with a bad past. He's intelligent, capable, and determined to do what's right. Mann treats us to exciting action sequences and drama in Portland, as well as an array of interesting characters, especially Kennedy whose banter with Stewart gave them a Butch & Sundance or Earp & Holiday appeal. I will say, Kennedy's abrupt villainy at the end didn't make sense and he went from very laid-back to an agitated man quickly. It was the only thing that didn't feel convincing, but rather an artificial contrivance to generate a new antagonist. Still, what a solid A-tier western from the early 50s. The mountainous Oregon region looks stunning on bluray.