Rio Bravo

Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) is holding Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) for killing an unarmed man. Only Joe's brother Nathan (John Russell) wants Joe freed, and he'll use everything in his powers. The only hope Chance has is a drunk (Dean Martin), a kid (Ricky Nelson), and ol' Stumpy (Walter Brennan).

This is classic John Wayne at his finest. He is the great gunslinger facing insurmountable odds who takes on the bad guys with his brains, his determination, and his skills. Directed by Howard Hawks, this is just a great old fashion western. They even have Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing-along. Angie Dickinson plays the romantic lead. Sure, it is cliché. The good guys always win in the end. But there's nothing wrong with that.

Disregarded at the time of its release, and still underrated by many critics, Rio Bavo is finally coming into its own as a masterpiece. One reason that it has been underrated is that,it does not seem a typical western for the fifties. Most of the great westerns of the period were darker and moodier. Witness for example, the great films of Boetticher and Anthony Mann, or-the supreme example-The Searchers.Others were 'revisionist' and often sought to convey a socially conscious "teaching'- High Noon is the paradigm here. In contrast, Rio Bravo is unashamedly reactionary. Hawks actually claimed to have made the film as a reply to High Noon..In addition, there are very few pyschological or moral ambiguities here. Instead, we get a classic Hawksian scenario, also found in Only Angels Have Wings and To Have and Have Not. . in which a groups of misfits and outsiders bands together to defeat evil. Here we have John Wayne- offering a performance of considerable subtlety and self knowledge- as the valiant, yet limited, patriarchal hero, John T. Chance. To save the day, he calls on a cast of standard Western characters:The old-timer( Brennan), the reformed drunk( Martin), The "kid'( Nelson), and the "hooker with a heart of gold( Dickinson).Thanks to Hawks' assured, efficient, direction,All of these actors transcend the stereotypes usually associated with such characters to deliver fine performances which are simultaneously "realistic' and archtypal. Particularly worthy of notice is Dean Martin. John Carpenter once claimed that the scene of Martin's "redemption" was the greatest moment in all of cinema. That may be an exaggeration, but Carpenter has a point. It is both moving and unforgettable.In short, Rio Bravo is a triumph for Howard Hawks and his seemingly artless art.

This is one of the great Westerns of all-time. Hawks at his best, as are John Wayne and Walter Brennan. Dean Martin has the chops and we get a little music, too. The script is slightly better than 'El Dorado' and it comes together in a perfect blend of action, drama and entertainment. It's just a classic.

The story itself is a composite of all the elements needed to make a great Western: good guys in white hats, bad guys in black hats, townspeople content to stand aside and to let the battle be fought between the outlaws and the man with the tin star, a beautiful woman to distract the hero and finally help him when the chips are down.

The main stars, John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Angie Dickinson all turn in the top-notch performances one would expect from them, and Rick Nelson is a very pleasant surprise as Colorado. It's two others that separate this movie from other Westerns, though.

Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, as Carlos the hotel-keeper, is a breath of fresh air. His interplay with John Wayne's John T. Chance adds a touch of human reality to the movie that sets it apart.

Walter Brennan in his role as Stumpy, however, is the glue that holds the whole thing together and makes it work. His constant griping under his breath, his goading of Wayne, his dialogue with the prisoner and his general comic relief set Rio Bravo apart from any other Western and put it in a class of its own. Keenan Wynn in Eldorado doesn't even come close.

I noticed that a few reviewers gave RIO BRAVO scores of 10. Well, I certainly can understand this, as it is one of the better Westerns you can see, but I also am very hesitant to toss out 10s--as not many movies are perfect enough to merit this score. And, while I loved RIO BRAVO, I also must admit that there are a few films of the genre that are better...though not many.

One thing I noticed as I saw this film again today is that it is so much better than I'd remembered. Some of this might be because there are a lot of details about films and film making I notice now that I have a bazillion film reviews behind me--I couldn't help but learn a little bit after seeing so many films. Some of it might also be that despite me knowing the plot and knowing exactly what would happen, it just didn't get old--it was that well made.

Now the plot itself is amazingly simple and is not 100% new (hence, my giving the film a 9). The idea of a lawman or group of lawmen refusing to give up a murderer to a rich and powerful boss and steadfastly enforcing the law is such a classic plot line. However, this film is a great example of taking a standard plot yet making it come alive due to such incredibly deft direction. Howard Hawks was a master director with a ton of wonderful films to his credit. You can really tell he knew his craft, as he brought so much out of the actors and situation. In some ways, I even preferred it over the John Ford style, as Ford is usually very, very heavy on the sentimentality. Here, while there is a tiny bit, the emphasis seems to be more on character development, redemption and the individual's interactions with each other. Somewhat similar to Ford--just with less of the lovely schmaltz that Ford did so well. I love both style--and it's amazing that Hawks really only made a few Westerns.

In some ways, this film seems a bit surprising for a John Wayne film. While Wayne is naturally known for his extreme manliness in his movies, here he is more complex and vulnerable. First, his romantic pairing with a much younger Angie Dickenson is odd but somehow they make it work and bring out a bit more complexity to his character. Second, there is a lot of wonderful male bonding in the film--and a lot of tenderness. This is not a homophobic film, as the men truly seem to love and care for each other in a way you often don't see in Westerns. It's not all toughness but the vulnerability of the characters (especially Dean Martin) was endearing. Also, while it was very, very atypical of Wayne, I loved the scene where he kissed Walter Brennan on top of the head--it was wonderful and made me laugh. It's funny, because as it was about to happen I said to myself that if Wayne should kiss Brennan, it would be the perfect scene...and then he did!

One thing that worried me about the film was that in several Wayne films of the late 50s and into the early 70s, Wayne had young pop singers play important roles. While this sometimes worked, sometimes the acting and characters didn't really pan out well (such as Bobby Vinton playing Wayne's son in BIG JAKE). Here, fortunately, Ricky Nelson actually was a positive addition. Not only did his acting seem polished (after years of playing on "Ozzie and Harriet") but his singing actually worked well--even if the style was anachronistic to the Old West. I particularly liked his little duet with Dean Martin. As for Martin, he showed that despite the Matt Helm films and his laid back attitude towards acting in the 70s, he was a terrific actor.

As for everyone else, they were in top form. Wayne was a gentler and more believable guy--but still the John Wayne everyone wanted to see. Walter Brennan was downright hilarious as the cantankerous old cuss he grew into in his later years (though he was actually a bit younger than he looked and acted). Angie Dickenson also had more depth and appeal than usual. Interestingly, Hawks and the script put so much emphasis on the good guys that the bad guys were almost an after-thought. This isn't a bad thing, as the film chose instead to deal with the way the good guys got along and worked together as friends.

Exceptional direction, great acting and a top-notch script, this is a fine film and one any fan of Westerns or John Wayne simply has to watch. I liked the trivia section of IMDb and its entry that says "Quentin Tarantino has said that before he enters into a relationship with a girl, he always shows her 'Rio Bravo' and if she doesn't like it, there is no relationship." I would agree. Anyone who doesn't like this film after seeing it isn't to be trusted!

By the way, although I love this film, I am less in love with EL DORADO. A decade later, Hawks basically redid RIO BRAVO (again, with Wayne) and it offers no improvements at all over the original. Hawks denied that it was a remake and if you believe that, I'll sell you some oceanfront property in Colorado! It's watchable, but you see the two side-by-side, there's simply no comparison.