Rio Bravo

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding example of the Western genre....5 stars !
Review: Rio Bravo is a movie that just seems to get better with every viewing...Howard Hawks dynamic 1959 western is a boisterous and energetic film that has it's share of both tension, adventure & laughs.

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 !!

Rating:
Summary: Bravo, Rio Bravo
Review: One of the best westerns made at the time. Others have been made more recently that use modern technical skill, but for the time and place, Rio Bravo was the epitome of the western genre and still holds up today. Period!

Rating:
Summary: A tribute to the larger-than-life John Wayne
Review: If I could only have one John Wayne western, I would choose Rio Bravo.

It is casual yet filled with the best of the best of the American Western. This one even has classic cowboy comedy (Walter Brennan is poignant and hilarious) and cowboy music (Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin sing a duet!). But mostly, it is a tale in the classic western genre about courage, integrity, and stout-heartedness of Americans; especially the pioneers.

Against all the odds, the good guys make their stand but it's not all fun and games for our friends! A terrific film and tribute to the larger-than-life legend of John Wayne.



Rating:
Summary: The Duke and Deano save Texas town
Review: Rio Bravo is an excellent western that was the best teaming of John Wayne and director/producer Howard Hawks. John T. Chance, along with his two deputies, Dude, a drunk gunfighter, and Stumpy, an old cripple, is the sheriff of the Texas town called Rio Bravo. When Joe Burdette, a local lowlife, kills a man in cold blood, Chance arrests him for the murder. Joe's brother, Nathan, is a big man in the area and will pay anything to get his brother out of jail. Chance and his deputies must guard the jailhouse and wait for the marshal to come as Burdette and his gunmen try repeatedly to get Joe out. At the same time, a girl arrives in town who takes a liking to Chance. This is one of those westerns that is just a lot of fun to watch. Hawks blends the right mix of action, comedy, a good story, and quick, witty dialogue. The formula obviously worked for Hawks and Wayne because they basically remade this movie two more times, El Dorado and Rio Lobo. If you're a fan of Rio Bravo, check out the other two although this is the best of the three. Rio Bravo also gave composer Dimitri Tiomkin a chance to test his score for The Alamo, also starring the Duke, most notably his version of the "Deguello."

John Wayne is great as Sheriff John T. Chance, the law in Rio Bravo who must try and keep a murderer in jail. The Duke shows some of the comedic ability that doesn't come out in many of his movies. Dean Martin plays Dude, the drunken deputy called "Borachon"(drunkard) by people in town. Deano even gets a chance to sing a couple of songs; "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" and "Cindy." Ricky Nelson is surprisingly good as Colorado Ryan, a young gunfighter trying to prove himself. Angie Dickinson stars as Feathers, the new girl in town with a checkered past. Walter Brennan is excellent in a supporting role as Stumpy, the old, crippled deputy who guards the jailhouse. Rio Bravo also stars Ward Bond as Pat Wheeler, one of Chance's friends, John Russel as Nathan Burdette, Claude Akins as Joe Burdette, and Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales as Carlos. It's too bad this movie hasn't received a Special Edition DVD release since the current release is bare-bones. The DVD offers widescreen presentation, a theatrical trailer, and cast and crew information. For one of the Duke's best westerns with plenty of action and comedy for everyone, check out Rio Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Pure Entertainment at its finest
Review: 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.


Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Duke Film
Review: There are two types of John Wayne westerns. There are those in which he plays a complex character("The Searchers","Red River") and those where he slips comfortably into his Duke persona, the swaggering, confident, righteous western type who wears the white hat(most of the product he put out in the sixties). This film falls into the category of a "Duke" film. That is not to say that this film is not vastly entertaining. It just doesn't rank, in my mind, as a classic John Wayne film. The basic plot involves a planned jailbreak of a murderer and Sheriff Wayne's lone support is an alcoholic deputy(Dean Martin), a gabby old coot(Walter Brennan) and a cocky sharpshooter(Ricky Nelson). Through the course of the film Dino gets the DTs and Ricky sings a song. Also, we have potential love interest between Duke and a woman with a past played by Angie Dickinson. There is never a doubt how things are going to turn out here but it is a fun film nevertheless. Interestingly, director Howard Hawks remade this film in 1967 with Wayne and Robert Mitchum as "El Dorado" which I think is better but does not negate "Rio Bravo". On a note of trivia, director Martin Scorsese has long been on record as being a fan of the westerns of John Wayne, John Ford, and Howard Hawks. In his feature debut, "Who's That Knocking On My Door" he prominently features a poster of "Rio Bravo".

Rating:
Summary: "YOU WANT YOUR GUN? PICK IT UP! I WISH YOU WOULD."
Review: "Rio Bravo" is an exceptional western tale of men and women joining together to confront a crisis. The film features exceptional casting, with John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Walter Brennan giving amazong performances. The rest of the cast is great, minus Ricky Nelson, who was a better singer than an actor (a great scene in the film proves this point). The film also features great cinematography, beautiful locations and sets, and an amazing soundtrack by Dimitri Tiomkin. Once again, Howard Hawks (director of such classics as "Red River," "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Big Sleep") creates an exciting and emotional tale with great characters and impressive storytelling. Fans of Wayne, Hawks, and westerns will not be disappointed. Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: best western of all time
Review: rio bravo is one of the great films of our time. John Wayne as the no nonsense sheriff, Dean Martin as his alcoholic ex deputy, and Walter Brennan as his gimpy frontier deputy. Anyone who has seen this movie will tell you that Martin and Brennan steal the show. Unfortunately vetran character actor Ward Bond has a brief appearance in this movie. However it sets up the interjection of Ricky Nelson. Wayne knew box office and was willing to put singers in his westerns, such as F.Avalon in the Alamo, and Bobby Vinton in The Train Robbers, and Big Jake. Some have said Angie Dickinson was not needed in this movie. It probably could've been handled by an older actress, say Maureen O'Hara. However Angie does all right. The script has moments of romance comedy drama and action, but the central core of this movie is the interaction between Wayne, Brennan, and Martin. Even the villans are high quality actors, John Russell and Claude Akins. John Wayne in this movie shows he doesn't have to dominate the film

Rating:
Summary: The Quintessential Western
Review: RIO BRAVO is not only one of the finest westerns, but one of the finest films (in this writer's humble opinion). The plot is simple, the staging straightforward, yet the characterizations from John Wayne, Angie Dickinson, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan (among others) are genuine. Walter Brennan in particular (a three time Oscar winner) is at his curmudgeonly best here as Stumpy - the trusty sidekick. Here was a man of immense talent who, in various snippets throughout the film, shows a capacity for comic and dramatic talent. Dean Martin demonstrates an underappreciated range, while Wayne holds the entire picture together.

Most surprising is Ricky Nelson's performance and the young cowboy with maturity and common sense beyond his years. Angie Dickinson also shows fine acting ability not always recognized in her long career.

The DVD is well put together and quality is generally very good.

Rating:
Summary: The rules of game!
Review: Howard Hawks typified as any other western fim maker the multiple profiles inmersed in this north american mythology as the western was .
"The war is won only with the available you have , and not with that you would wish to have" , if you translate this statement to this movie , you will notice that it foits accurately .
Since all the allies forces under the sheriff ' s service are not the cream of the cream , that is the only you have for fighting . A clear example about the effective leadership and this film shows us through vignettes and rhapsodic moments .
Since I have been a hard admirer of Howard Hawks is above all his powerful capacity to rtell stories with a prodigious simplicity of resources . He directed a film like a great symphony and that 's his secret .
He was a very introspective man , very quiet but gifted with this clearness about the western meant as life experience . And that premise signed his films , the Howard's conceptual seeds still remain in the mind of so many actual directors . Notice for instance that Hawks was one of the few directors that won in every genre he filmed . since his famous Scarface (one of the film noir pioneers) to The gentlemen prefer blondes . His path seems suggest the enormous interest for developing the inner character and personal philosophies around the subworld reflected in every one of his works .
Timeless western movie!