Hello, everyone! Particularly western movie lovers and devotees of the great Howard Hawks!
RIO BRAVO, made in 1958 and first released in early 1959, has proved itself to stand the so-called "test of time". Indeed, 40 years later, this movie is still very watchable and gives the viewer a lot of pleasure.
And what a cast! John Wayne! Dean Martin! Ricky Nelson! Angie Dickinson! Walter Brennan! Ward Bond! All ably supported by John Russell, Pedro Gonzales Gonzales and (particularly) Claude Akins.
John Wayne - THE Duke - plays Sheriff John T Chance, who acts like a rock of total stability throughout the movie. John Wayne really always plays himself, but there is no harm at all in that, is there?
Dean Martin acquits himself particularly well in RIO BRAVO. He plays "Dude", the Sherrif's former deputy, who 2 years before the movie opens "goes off the rails" over a woman who was no good. She dumps him, and Dude goes on the drink, a virtual down-and-out when this movie opens.
Pop star, Ricky Nelson, is there to help box office pull. No real actor, of course, but he does still give a good account of himself as the "hot shot" with the pistol - who helps Sherrif John Wayne.
Then there is Angie Dickinson!!! Gorgeous, seductive, sensual - she plays "Feathers" so well. To my mind, Angie was rarely fully exploited to show her best by the movie industry. This movie made her a star, but her subsequent movies never allowed her to live up to her potential.
The director, Howard Hawks, brings his usual brilliant and individual style to RIO BRAVO. The film is full of the usual Hawks touches - overlapping dialogue, lots of humour - even when the "going gets tough" - and leading ladies who can hold their own against the men. No limp wimps for Mr. Hawks!
Then there is the musical score - written by the great Dmitri Tiomkin. This great musician has given so many great scores to dozens of movies, and his score for this one is one of better. Dramatic, stirring and memorable.
A note: the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that Harry Carey Jr. is listed in the cast, BUT you don't actually see him in the movie. Is the really a case of a part left on the cutting room floor? Probably so, as his contract would have determined his billing. So, the 141 minutes running time of the release print may belie a film that originally ran longer.
Trust you enjoy this review and find it helpful.
A Howard Hawks Nut!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
You've got a great op started here for an excellent movie. It just needed a little bit of the type of stuff Craig mentioned in his comment to make it a full review. Gotta love the characters in this film though it's one of my favorite John Wayne movies as well! If you haven't seen it yet, check out John Wayne's The Cowboys. It's quite good too. -Am
georgew 04.12.2002 21:52
as some who has been a lifelong john wayn fan,no a devotee really i found your op very interesting as you say for such an old film it could have been released now and would have been enjoyed just as much ,i my self must have seen it at least a dozen times and still enjoy it very much.
craigy_baby_2000 22.02.2001 19:55
This isn't a bad opinion, certainly lengthy and you have tried very hard, but without mentioning the storyline and other aspects of the film, I'm afraid I can't give you a higher rating. Keep writing though, you're not doing bad :)
When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to ... more
three completely different pictures: Howard Hawks'Rio Bravo, Hawks'Red Riverand John Ford'sThe Searchers. About the only thing they all have in common is that they a...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to ... more
three completely different pictures: Howard Hawks'Rio Bravo, Hawks'Red Riverand John Ford'sThe Searchers. About the only thing they all have in common is that they a...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to ... more
three completely different pictures: Howard Hawks'Rio Bravo, Hawks'Red Riverand John Ford'sThe Searchers. About the only thing they all have in common is that they a...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
On one side is an army of gunmen dead-set on springing a murderous sidekick from jail. On ... more
the other is Sheriff John T. Chance and his two deputies: one a drunk the other a cripple. Place your bets! John Wayne is Chance in Rio Bravo a lean Western cl...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Rio Bravo [DVD] [1959]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78549710.jpg "Rio Bravo [DVD] [1959]")
![Rio Bravo [DVD] [1959] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/77878273.jpg "Rio Bravo [DVD] [1959] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
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