Rio Bravo Reviews

A classic western from 1959 about a murderer being held in a small town until the marshal could come collect him and the gang that wants to free him.

It is clearly a movie from a different era, where even a western needed to have a musical number shoved into it. Regardless, it was enjoyable, if somewhat long.

The characters were clever and the interactions between them were engaging and interesting. It had sufficient action via shoot-em-ups as well as comedy that didn't feel forced. The love interest felt a bit tacked on, but not terribly so.

I also enjoyed that the protagonists weren't untouchable; they made mistakes and sometimes the bad guys got the jump on them or outsmarted them.

Why it was called Rio Bravo, "Brave River," is beyond me. Maybe it just sounded sufficiently "western" at the time. Always nice to see some of these old ones on the big screen. 7/10

One of my favorite Dean Martin movies not to mention it has Ricky Nelson in it too! This movie is great, if you haven't seen it you should even if you don't like older movies. Love this movie could watch it over and over.

To be honest, I’m not really a fan of John Wayne (I have seen only 6 of his movies including this one so far), but since this movie is a real classic, I was definitely eager to check it out. In fact, I completely forgot it when I was watching the damned thing but I realized afterwards that this movie is actually regarded as one of the best Western ever made, inspiring such movies like ‘Assault at Precinct 13’  and many movie makers such as Quentin Tarantino. Personally, I thought it was a pretty good flick but I can’t say it was really mind-blowing though. I mean, it was definitely well made, the acting was solid and I thought it was entertaining but I guess it is just not my style of Westerns and I’d rather see the movies made by Sergio Leone. Concerning John Wayne, I thought he was pretty good but I thought there was not much chemistry between him and Angie Dickinson and I never really believed in their relationship. Above all, I thought that the story was all right but it was nothing really amazing, at least, in my opinion. Still, it remains a solid Western, a real classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I guess we could call this one the anti-High Noon, since it tells a similar story, but doesn’t feature that film’s themes of alienation, cowardice, distrust and Red Scare symbolism. Instead, we have a band of outlaws, a sheriff willing and ready to protect the town, and a ragtag group of individuals who eagerly stand by his side throughout the whole ordeal. Oh, and we have a musical interlude and comedy, lots of it in the form of delicious witty and droll dialog.

There are a few things one that can always count on in any Howard Hawks film: good-to-career-best performances, a strong ensemble with an interesting and eclectic mixture of actors, an almost anarchic sense of forward motion in the narrative, and witty dialog. All of these elements are present in Rio Bravo. The only real problem with the movie is the uneven pacing, whenever it takes its leisurely time to do nothing in particular to advance the storyline proper, and it does this often, I feel like it could’ve been trimmed up to quicken the pace and give it a strong punch.

Which isn’t to say certain moments taken at a leisurely pace don’t work, because quite a few of them work spectacularly. The introduction is an astounding piece of filmmaking that only Hawks could get away with and enliven with such urgency. It’s, give or take, about five minutes long and there’s no dialog, just Dude (Dean Martin) wandering into town looking for some money to enable his alcoholism. When he stumbles back into town, he causes chaos in a saloon and the plot is off and running.

John Wayne is the sheriff, of course, and he does what he does best – act like a macho, he-man cowboy, the veritable symbol of the men who tamed the Wild West. He was never much of an actor, but for what he was capable of doing, he was the greatest. An as a bodily-focused actor, his drawl and tough-talk never wavered, he could make some interesting choices. His posture leaves much to be desired, frequently hunched over, or broken and contorted into odd shapes and angles, but these choices allow us to see the emotions within the character he was playing. That holds up as truth in Rio Bravo with any scene involving the lovely, fiery Angie Dickinson.

While Wayne is delivering a typical John Wayne performance, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson (what the hell are they doing in a western anyway?) seem to be riffing on the kind of macho-centric performances that so many Western stars delivered. Martin’s drunk scenes are great, as are several scenes of his character going through withdrawal symptoms. But whenever he has to be the heroic character, it seems out of his prowess as an actor. Luckily, much of his character’s arch is in going from drunken stupor to rehabilitated hero, and this he nails. Nelson, oh so pretty and if I were a girl in the 50s I’d have a shrine to him in my bedroom, keeps his dialog to a minimum, but has a cocky swagger and a smirk that speak volumes. At times he seems to be trying out a John Wayne impression, and that works for the character, but he’s at his best whenever he’s allowed to be the cocky upstart to this group of old friends and aging cowboys. And while I enjoyed the musical interlude between Martin and Nelson while waiting for the shootout to occur, I don’t know how necessary it is to the plot. It seems like a concession to the audience that they couldn’t have these singers in the film and not have them sing, at least once.

Of course as the whole thing builds, slowly, to the climatic shootout, we get some hilarious dialog. Most of it delivered by Walter Brennan, who practically chews the scenery before spitting it back out into a spittoon. Brennan gets all of the biggest laughs, and he deserves as the cantankerous old man who may be a little crazy, but is still one of the best shots in the area. His character and performance recalls Walter Huston’s in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but replace the tragedy and darkness from his character with the amped up comic undertones. Obviously and deservedly, he steals the film out from everyone.

And the lengthy climatic shootout brings together various disparate strands from the film – comedy, western, action/adventure – and merges them into something truly great. At first it’s just the three main characters – Wayne, Martin, Nelson – against the gang who has cut off the town, brought in the wealthy brother of their leader for help, and terrorized the whole town for the past three days. Soon various supporting players arrive to help them out in the struggle. As an answer to High Noon it does show the typical community spirit in so many westerns (and war-themed films), in which a band of outsiders come together to restore order and law. But I don’t think Rio Bravo understood the political and social allegory going on beneath the surface in High Noon. As I walked away from Rio Bravo, I remembered many of the comedic interludes, appreciated several of the performances, loved many of the sequences, but didn’t know what it was trying to communicate and I thought it could of used another go around in the editing process. I wouldn’t call this one a Hawks masterpiece like The Big Sleep, but it’s a grand entertainment none the less.

Featuring Carlos Gallardo, star of Robert Rodriguez's cult-classic debut El Mariachi, Bravo is a tense action thriller about a musician struggling to stop a criminal rebellion. Gallardo is Carlos Bravo, a mariachi who was once a dedicated government agent. When the Mexican president is kidnapped by a group led by an evil and powerful drug lord, the guitar player must conjure up his heroic past to save the day. Throwing an additional wrench in the gears is the fact that Bravo is dating the president's daughter

Nathan Burdette: "I don't like that kinda talk. Now you're practically accusing me..."
John T. Chance: "Let's get this straight: You don't like? I don't like a lot of things. I don't like your men sittin' on the road bottling up this town. I don't like your men watching us, trying to catch us with our backs turned. And I don't like it when a friend of mine offers to help and twenty minutes later he's dead! And I don't like you, Burdette, because you set it up."

Rio Bravo is the quintessential Howard Hawks Western. Although patronised by reviewers at the time of its release, Rio Bravo is now regarded as an American classic and one of the greatest cinematic Westerns in history. The film is primarily recognised for its slick shootouts, masterful atmosphere and a congregation of characters as warm as toast. Not since 1952's High Noon had a Western been so influential. In fact, contemporary cinema still draws blatant inspiration from this timeless classic. John Carpenter's remarkable 1976 actioner Assault on Precinct 13 was a fundamental remake, transplanting the story into a cold, isolated urban location. The 2005 remake of Assault on Precinct 13 was likewise influenced by this timeless 1959 masterpiece. Even Hawks himself helmed two variations of his film with El Dorado and Rio Lobo.

However, Rio Bravo is the furthest thing from your customary clichéd Western. Gone are the extensive vistas, scenes that involve roaming the countryside on horseback, and not once did John Wayne utter the word "pilgrim". Additionally, the "damsel in distress" cliché is far removed. Also, the archetypal invulnerable protagonist is replaced with a character that gets scared, bleeds and makes mistakes. The atmosphere of pure tension is also lightened by humour. The wonderful screenplay encompasses witticisms as sharp as a dagger, and a group of characters that are well-written and acted wonderfully. This is utterly classic stuff. Although long, the film is undeniably fun.

John Wayne is in top form as the rugged, tough man's man known as Sheriff John T. Chance. Chance is faced with a dilemma: he has to hold murderer Joe Burdette (Akins) in his gaol until the U.S. Marshall can pick him up in roughly six days. The trouble is that Joe's brother Nathan (Russell) plans to spring Joe from prison by any means possible. Nathan is a local cattle baron who commands an army of paid professionals numbering in the 40s. Sheriff Chance needs to hold out until the Marshall arrives, but he only has two deputies by his side: a disgraced drunk known as Dude (Martin) and a cantankerous, albeit extremely spirited old cripple named Stumpy (Brennan).

Pat Wheeler: "A game-legged old man and a drunk. That's all you got?"
John T. Chance: "That's WHAT I got."

Howard Hawks was reportedly quite dissatisfied with the highly acclaimed 1952 Western High Noon. Hawks was quite disturbed due to how unrealistic the film was. In High Noon, Marshall Will Kane (played by Gary Cooper) was so afraid of his impending adversaries (a mere four men) that he spent most of the film's duration looking for help...only to be rejected by his supposed allies. Hawks decided to make a movie which would depict a more accurate response to the dilemma faced by Kane. In this case, Wayne as Sheriff John T. Chance has an abundance of men willing to help him. The trouble is that he prefers to only have the best men fighting for him. High Noon is a decent flick, but Rio Bravo is far superior due to its more realistic handling of the scenario and its higher entertainment value.

Howard Hawks is no stranger to the Western genre. Prior to Rio Bravo, Hawks had helmed Red River. His direction here is utterly perfect. Each frame shines with impressive attention to every conceivable detail. Like most Westerns, the period depiction is wonderful. Costumes and props are difficult to fault. Most of the interior scenes were filmed in studio sets; however Hawks' transcendent direction creates an ideal atmosphere. The script, as well, is superlative. Dean Martin even sings a melancholy tune at one stage. It's this variety that makes the film anything but an ordinary Western. There's catchy music mixed with hysterical dialogue, great shootouts and plenty of moments that'll make you smile.
However, there are a few excessive red herrings that could have been removed. Even with these unnecessary additions, the film provides solid entertainment. Many have criticised Rio Bravo for being too long and with too many uneventful scenes. To me, the film isn't long enough. I adored being in the company of these characters. If anything I was disappointed when the credits started to roll. The filmmakers have definitely performed their duties appropriately if one of my only criticisms is that the movie had to end!

The acting is first-class right down the line. John Wayne delivers one of the best performances in his career. When it came to making Westerns during the 1950s and a few decades beyond, Wayne was the essential go-to guy. After all, this is John Wayne doing what he does best. As Sheriff John T. Chance, he's right at home with the material. The 6'4" actor was a physical presence that dominated the screen, and was the definitive incarnation of a cowboy. Throughout the entire movie, Wayne is extraordinarily convincing and very watchable. Quintessentially, John Wayne is John Wayne in spades.
Dean Martin also proves an accomplished actor. At the time Martin was known for hard living and hard drinking, and his experience pays off as he is a credible drunk in this film. When his character of Dude is convalescing and trying to make amends for the various years of drowning in alcohol, the sincerity of Martin's performance is readily apparent.
However, while Wayne and Martin are both fantastic, it's Walter Brennan as Stumpy that steals the show. He provides delightful comic relief; lightening the somewhat dreary disposition of a number of scenes.
Ricky Nelson as the young gunslinger Colorado is yet another welcome addition to the cast. Just one week into shooting, Nelson celebrated his 18th birthday!
Angie Dickinson is the love interest for John Wayne. Interestingly, Wayne was slightly nervous about the love scenes due to the age gap: Wayne was 51 and Dickinson was 26.
On top of these five great protagonists, there are several other fantastic characters. Suffice to say, it'd be easier to just mention those who aren't good.

Overall, Rio Bravo quickly emerged as one of my all-time favourite cinematic Westerns. There are only very minor shortcomings, such as a few clichés and a bit of predictability, but for fun Western material it's almost impossible to do better. Rio Bravo is still considered one of Howard Hawks' finest and most influential films. It's a classic John Wayne escapade that has been remade and rehashed numerous times (twice by Hawks himself). This isn't the typical Western that finds tough-guy Cowboys battling violent Indians...this is a surprisingly original production that succumbs to only a few clichés. There's never a dull moment in this highly enjoyable romp that continues to provide sublime entertainment many decades following its initial release.

9.5/10