Rio Bravo

John Wayne is Sheriff John T. Chance....a traditional lawman caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. After arresting Claude Akins (Joe Burdett) for shooting a man dead in a bar fight, Wayne has to endure the hired cronies of Akins' brother John Russell (Nathan Burdett) stalking the jail house trying to break Joe out. The only assistance on hand for the beleagured Wayne is recovering alcoholic Dean Martin (Dude) and crippled jailer Walter Brennan (Stumpy).

The odds are well and truly stacked against Wayne, but aid appears in the unlikely form of shy gunslinger Ricky Nelson (Colorado) and warm hearted, card shark Angie Dickinson (Flowers) as they both become embroiled in the tense stand off to keep everyone, including Joe Burdett, alive until the territory Marshall can get to town.....

Rio Bravo never slows down in it's journey and it appears that the actors on screen all enjoyed making this film....especially the brilliant Walter Brennan ( Where would westerns have ever been if Walter Brennan were never born ! ) who giggles and cackles his way through his sparkling time on screen....and even getting a kiss from John Wayne in the process. And we even get to hear Ricky & Dean do a couple of duets...and Walter joins in!!

A worthy addition to any film fans library...Rio Bravo is western film making at it's best...another one that I can't wait to come out on DVD !!


"That's what I like about you John T. You're such an encouragement." -- Dean Martin to John Wayne   September 16, 2007
Bobby Underwood (Bakersfield, California United States)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Howard Hawks and John Wayne were both displeased by the underlying tone of "High Noon" and made "Rio Bravo" in response. While it was sort of dismissed by critics at the time of its release, it is now universally accepted as a true masterpiece and the quintissential Howard Hawks film. Even if you didn't see the credits roll, ten minutes into this one there's no doubt this is a film by Howard Hawks.

The cast is absolutely flawless. Wayne is John T., the seasoned, bigger-than-life lawman trying to hold a killer in his jail while he gives old pal Dude (Dean Martin) time to recover from the shakes; a condition brought on, of course, by the wrong woman. This is a Howard Hawks film, after all. Hawks built the small western town of Texas in Tuson, and shaded it at 7/8 scale so that Wayne's massive presence would seem even larger than it did in real life.

Martin gives a fabulous performance as a man trying to reach down deep and find his pride again. Once the best gun John T. ever saw, he slowly begins to show flashes of the cool customer he used to be before a woman forced him into the bottom of a whisky bottle. Baby-faced teen idol Rickey Nelson is great as the young gun, Colorado, smart enough to stay out of what's going on until his boss, an old friend of John's, takes a bullit in the back.

Walter Brennan gives his usual old codger performance to perfection as Stumpy. He guards the prisoner and talks too much, and nearly shoots Dude by mistake he's so ready with the scatter gun. Everything is male about this film, including a young and leggy Angie Dickinson. The immediate mistrust of women, a theme running through many of Hawks' best films, is on glorious display here.

Even after Dickinson proves she's on the up and up, John T. keeps trying to get her on the next stage before he ends up at the bottom of a bottle like Dude did; a thought much scarier than facing down the forty or so gunman just waiting for a chance to pick them off. She, of course, is in love with John so keeps finding ways to stay---ala Jean Arthur's character in "Only Angels Have Wings." There is a ton of male humor and bonding over everything masculine in a film spectacularly Hawks in nature.

Long and paced to allow his characters to develop, this is fabulously entertaining and one of the great films in the western genre. A fabulous ending every guy will enjoy and completely understand set the tone for all westerns that would come down the trail after "Rio Bravo." Hawks' fans don't want to miss this one. A true film classic.


Recommended, But Give EL DORADO a Try   May 9, 2002
Gary F. Taylor (Biloxi, MS USA)
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

Director Howard Hawks and actor John Wayne must have thought the story effective, for they essentially remade RIO BRAVO twice more, first as EL DORADO in 1967 and then as RIO LOBO in 1970. In this particular version, Dean Martin is a run-down sheriff who has lost all self-respect and is busy drinking his way to the bottom of the barrell--but old friend John Wayne drifts into town and soon sets about whipping him into shape. With old-timer Walter Brennan and youngster Ricky Nelson at their sides, and with a little support from Angie Dickinson, they clean up the town.

As the first of the three versions, RIO BRAVO generally receives the most approval--but although enjoyable, I have always felt it compares unfavorably with EL DORADO. Both films have a relaxed tone, neatly mixing the western-style action with healthy doses of enjoyable comedy, but of the two RIO BRAVO seems much looser in both script and execution and somewhat less well cast. Then pop-star Ricky Nelson is cast in an effort to appeal to teenagers, and believe it or not the film comes to a grinding halt that he might perform the obligatory song; in the meantime, the usually expert Angie Dickinson is broadsided by some of the worst dialogue this side of the Pecos.

Even so, Wayne and Martin play very well and have considerable chemistry--certainly more than enough to hold your interest right through to the end--and although the film sometimes feels slow, when the action kicks in it kicks in hard and with plenty of excitement. Reccommended, but give EL DORADO a try.


Pure Entertainment at its finest   November 23, 2004
J. Remington (Adams, Oregon USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, CHARADE, KING KONG, JAWS, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (and too many others to list is such a small space), RIO BRAVO is as close to perfect entertainment for the sake of escapist satisfaction as there is.
Containing the quintessential John Wayne performance as Sheriff John Chance as well as sterling work by Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson and the incomparable Walter Brennan, RIO BRAVO is a finely crafted story that doesn't contain an extraneous scene or misplaced piece of dialogue. The pacing is solid and the framing is economical and purely functional.

Howard Hawks was known for directing strong ensemble casts in tight adventures and this is certainly no exception. He truly was an actor's director as he obviously encouraged his casts to create and communicate small morsels of behavior that richly enhance his direct and unpretentious storylines. A Hawks film, to me, is a goldmine of subtle and effective acting choices. If good acting is about, according to David Mamet, completely serving the script and completing objectives through action, then RIO BRAVO is a compelling and fine example of screen acting at its finest.

RIO BRAVO is a film that doesn't taint with repeated viewings. If it does not rest on your DVD shelf it is time it did. An American classic.

Although, I must add that it is high time for a deluxe edition DVD with a stronger and richer transfer.



My Rifle , my pony , my dvd and me   March 9, 2007
Daniel Lee Taylor (GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is an old favorite. True, the story itself is nothing new. Sheriff in trouble, out numbered and out gunned. He has only some misfits to back his play. Given that, what sets this apart from many other westerns is the cast and script. Take John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Angie Dickinson and you have the makings of an all star entertainment. While there is plenty of action, the story concentrates on these characters and how they handle the situation they are in. Look for plenty of back up characters like Claude Akins or Ward Bond. This is plain good movie making. Watch this show.