El Dorado

El Dorado (1966)

A brilliant movie. I hate to use an overused word, or to seem over the top here. But I really thought Howard Hawks created an arguably better version of "Rio Bravo" by doing two key things. One is using two leads who had great mature chemistry together, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. The other is using James Caan as a more convincing and slightly less frivolous sidekick instead of Ricky Nelson in the earlier version. Many people will disagree and that's fine--my point is this is a terrific and somewhat overlooked film.

Not that the plots of the two are identical, and you might really blame the director/producer for doing a cheap attempt at a hit, without total originality. The fact is, he succeeds so well you don't mind. Everything is first rate. Even the humor as it gets more and more slapstick and out of keeping with the very serious beginnings of the film is so at ease and warm you like and want the companionship to continue. Hawks and his actors create a setting and a situation that is almost homey, against the odds. And this is in an era when the American Western is all but dead (the great Spaghetti Westerns were now coming out).

Critical to the success is the great cinematography by Harold Rosson, who filmed so many classic movies it's hard to know where to start (but start with "The Wizard of Oz" and "Singin' in the Rain"). This is his last film, and he never stops pushing boundaries. There are not only beautiful scenes in the little towns or the shots from the belltower near the end, but some innovative ones.

The big theme here is a common one in Westerns--a group of bad guys with guns is out to take something from a group of good common folk. But the solution is notable, and pushed to a limit. That is, the problem is solved through camaraderie and friendship, through trust. And by joining in the cause even if there is no reward, and even though death is not unlikely. It's a story that is oversimplified, of course, but it feels good. Where some Anthony Mann Westerns and the famous Zinnemann "High Noon" often have evil or selfish or cowardly people all around the protagonist, here there is only a sense that good will prevail, and by persistence and teamwork.

Wayne is at his best here. He's often at his best, I suppose, since he's so consistent, but this shows a strong, smart, wise character that is probably the true Wayne. He's tough and funny and believes in what is right. Period. And I think Hawks knew how to make Wayne look and act his best, and Mitchum seemed to also resonate well. For his part, Mitchum is a terrific derelict sheriff, not overacting, making it reasonable and his character sympathetic. The two have a lot of scenes together and they seem to enjoy themselves without quite breaking into grins on camera.

Finally it should be said that the story line is rich and complex. Yes it follows certain common themes and clichés, but it continually twists them up. The first twenty minutes are a harrowing ride of upturned expectations, and the plot really has its teeth sunk into misunderstandings and mistakes that take on huge ramifications. Well written, well paced dialog, well done.

One weakness in both "El Dorado" and "Rio Bravo" is the lead woman in each case, meant to be a "type" of course but in "El Dorado" coming off as weirdly modern in both sensibility and make-up. I mean cosmetics. Even more glaring is the crazy 1966 hair and eyeliner on a younger woman in the story, who is terrific overall but just seems out of place. You might say the same for Caan, too, but he plays his part with such idiosyncratic verve you accept him as a legitimate oddball.

Why not just see "Rio Bravo" instead, since it carries similar themes, and Hawks and Wayne as well, and has a superior reputation? Go ahead. "Rio Bravo" is a more serious drama, and is terrific. But if you have access to this one (and the streaming Netflix copy is superb), then I'd plunge in. Highly rated, and still underrated.

It's hard not to smile as you watch this film play itself out. There are just too many fine actors and top notch performances contained in this film for it to be anything but outstanding. Howard Hawks knows just how to harness this story and give each actor room enough to strut his stuff.

John Wayne plays a hired gun who comes to the aid of a drunken sheriff played to perfection by Robert Mitchum. By Wayne's side is a young man (James Caan) packing a nasty scatter-gun, and also at their disposal is a grizzled Indian fighter deputy (Arthur Hunnicutt). The four do battle with an evil land owner (Ed Asner), his hired gun (Christopher George), and several other gunslingers looking for trouble. A rival family of landowners named the MacDonalds are being pressured by Asner and his cronies. Wayne and Co. take their side, and all hell breaks loose in El Dorado.

The film is crisply paced, well-written, and the acting as good as you might expect. Even actors like Caan and Asner who might seem out of their element fit right in and hold their own. Wayne is as watchable as ever. It's a treat just to hear him say the word "Mississippi" every time he refers to Caan. Mitchum has the more demanding of the two lead roles, and it's no wonder Wayne wanted that role for himself. The toughest thing our heroes are faced with is sobering him up as he has become the laughing stock of the town he is supposed to protect. Arthur Hunnicutt, as Mitchum's deputy, seems to get a lot of the good lines and more than proves his worth when things get tough. Another person who stands out is Michele Carey who portrays one of the MacDonald clan. I'd never really heard of her before, but the woman is stunningly beautiful. She plays a resourceful woman out to kick some Asner butt.

Between the numerous shootouts, there are wonderful scenes where you can tell the stars are just happy to stand together in front of the camera. There are a few scenes that really weren't beaten to death by the genre and actually look original. A shootout involving church bells was something I hadn't seen before, though I'm hardly an expert in western lore. I wouldn't be surprised to find that someone had done it before, but it really worked in this film. Also, it was neat to see Caan blow some of the bad guys to shreds with his shotgun. That was an under-utilized weapon in old western films. His brief impersonation of a Chinaman is bound to offend some, but it's actually quite entertaining.

If you love a good western, you must not miss El Dorado. Even if you don't normally watch them, you might also find it more than worth your time.

9 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

An enjoyable film. It bears some striking similarities with another Howard Hawks-John Wayne western, Rio Bravo. The story is about reunion of two old friends - a sheriff and a gunfighter who helps a rancher family to fight its rival. Plot is not any unique but the fine screenplay and balanced characters makes it worthy. The chief attraction of the film remains the presence of Wayne and Mitchum. John Wayne was in his usual best. No comment about him is required when it comes a western. At first, I found Robert Mitchum out of shape but later he made sense as an alcoholic sheriff. His character gives some good laughs. Apart from that I found many characters closely resembling the ones in Rio Bravo.

Anyway, movie maintains its own identity somehow with a fine antagonist. It has a few beautiful songs and gunfights are also good. It is a well-made and entertaining western overall.

This was a pretty solid western, one I enjoyed more than I thought I would. What I liked about it were the interesting characters and the fact it was nicely filmed, as westerns tend to be. People focus on the big stars of this film and often miss how good the visuals are in here.

John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan all played characters that were fun to watch. When I first saw this about 10 years ago, it was a shock to see how young Caan looked. It had to be one of his first films. Six years after this, he made it big in "The Godfather."

Wayne and Mitchum, of course, were already major motion picture celebrities and I liked the way they traded off each other in this movie. It was really good to see these two guys in the same film. With those two, and the nice photography, this would be a good pickup on DVD.

Involving and fascinating Western in which John Wayne helped by a motley group taking on a corrupt land baron . It is filled with crisp action , thrills , emotion , humor and masterfully directed by Howard Hawks , being a take-off based on ¨Rio Bravo¨ . It deals with Cole Thornton (John Wayne) , a gunslinger for hire who suffers badly from age and gun wound , he joins forces with an old friend , Sheriff J.P. Hara (Robert Mitchum) in a dusty little town . Together with an old Indian fighter and a gambler , they help a rancher (R.G. Armstrong) and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water . But the Duke and drunken sheriff Mitchum take prisoner the cattle baron (Eward Ashner) and imprison him into jail for being brought to justice . Then the enemies take on a blockade of gunfighters surrounding the prison. Duke along with a shotgun-toting old loony (the scene-stealing Arthur Hunnicutt as a half-crazed sympathetic old man with a trumpet and in similar role to Walter Brennan) are besieged and only helped by the hot-head young named Missisipi (James Caan) whose finger itches demoniacally on the trigger every time he gets a nasty guy in his sights . All of them fighting for their lives against the baron land and his hired killers (Christopher George , Jim Davis)

Action western, snappy dialog , shoot-outs at regular intervals, and humor abounds in this magnificent film whose roles are splendidly portrayed . It packs larger-than-life characters, uproarious events and lively happenings . It is an elegy on lost youth assuaged by friendship and comradeship among them . The Duke carries strong acting on his brawny shoulders and perfectly does , though most of the scenes showing John Wayne running were performed by a double . It's basically a lighthearted action Western and being mainly lifted out by Robert Mitchum 's wonderfully acting , his bathtub scene was largely Robert's invention, members of the crew were laughing while it was being filmed at the idea of Mitchum being embarrassed in front of a woman . Delightful main and support cast formed by several youthful costars as James Caan , Charlotte Holt and Michelle Carey ; adding brief interventions from Adam Roarke , Johnny Crawford , Robert Donner and Paul Fix . And of course, top-drawer John Wayne , few stars could match his ability to dominate a scene . Arch-conservative John Wayne did not get along with actor Edward Asner, whose politics were quite liberal, during filming, and constantly referred to Asner as "that New York actor". Wayne was disappointed that the movie was released at the same time as his next movie, ¨The War Wagon¨ ; however, despite this film receiving generally poor reviews and being seen as old-fashioned and out of tune with the times, both movies proved to be hugely successful at the box office. Glittering Technicolor cinematography by Harold Rosson who adds much to the setting of this unique Western , the scenes of the town during daytime were filmed on location in Kanab, Utah and Old Tucson, Arizona , but all the nighttime scenes were filmed in the studio. Marvelous musical score by Nelson Riddle (Batman TV theme) including emotive song at main titles . These opening credits feature a montage of original paintings that depict various scenes of cowboy life in the Old West, the artist was Olaf Wieghorst who appears in the film as the Gunsmith . This overlong, too much-acclaimed and very gripping Western will appeal to John Wayne fans . Rating : Above average, essential and indispensable Western , a masterpiece horse opera whose reputation has improved over the years . The motion picture is well directed Howard Hawks supported by John Wayne , it's a nice Western made by these two giants . Hawks proved to be a Western expert as proved in ¨Big sky¨, ¨The outlaw¨ and ¨Red River ¨.

Rating : Good and great fun , though over lengthy and displays a number of similarities to previous ¨Rio Bravo¨ , quintaessential Hawks Western at the peak of his powers , starred by Wayne , Mitchum , Walter Brennan , Ricky Nelson and Angie Dickinson . ¨El Dorado¨ is more or less a remake of Rio Bravo, although Howard Hawks always denied this. Followed by a second reworking titled ¨Rio Lobo¨ with Wayne , George Rivero ,Jennifer O'Neill , Sherry Lansing ,Chris Mitchum , Victor French and Jack Elam playing a virtual retreat of the previous role played by Walter Brennan and Arthur Hunnicut and of course the great John Wayne who repeats in the excellent trilogy , an exciting , witty and deeply moving masterpiece .