Rating: 
Summary: Blackhearted villains, good-guy buddies, and a girl.
Review: Director Hawks and star Wayne liked this film so much that they teamed up to remake it twice ("Rio Lobo," which wasn't as good, and "El Dorado," which was better). Wayne plays John T. Chance, a former gunfighter who has settled down as sheriff of a dusty little Texas cowtown. Haunting the bars and back alleys of the town is his former deputy, Dude (Martin), who has turned to whiskey after being cruelly jilted by a woman. When Joe Burdette (Akins), the bullying, gunslinging brother of the area's biggest cattle baron, coldbloodedly kills a man for trying to interfere with his baiting of the hapless Dude, Chance arrests him (with an unexpected assist from his old partner) and settles in for trouble. Dude, for reasons unclear, decides to help, and much of the story turns on his self-doubts and his efforts to pull himself up out of the slough where he's spent the last couple of years, supported but never babied by Chance and his jailor, Stumpy (Brennan). Joining them when they fort up in the jail to await the U.S. Marshal is Colorado Ryan (Nelson surprisingly effective in the male-ingenue role), a young gunfighter working security for Chance's old friend, freighter Pat Wheeler (Bond), who comes aboard after Wheeler is shot in the back, on orders of Nathan Burdette (Russell), for attempting to drum up support for Chance among the townsfolk. Angie Dickinson makes her film debut as the otherwise-nameless "Feathers," a gambler's widow who comes into town on the stage and stays on (much to Chance's dismay) to give him whatever help she can--and indeed plays a pivotal role in one confrontation. The bad guys are one-dimensionally evil, with hardly a redeeming feature among them, and the relationship between Chance and Feathers echoes the "romances" so often found in Wayne's later oeuvre, but the buddyship of the four leads, Dude's gritty resolve to redeem himself, and the climactic set-piece shootout make up for them.
Rating: 
Summary: A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That's all you got?
Review: Director Howard Hawks specialized in the male bonding film and Rio Bravo is a shining example of his work. John Wayne plays Sheriff John T. Chance: a man with two deputies to help him fend off an angered brother - and his hired help - of a outlaw being held in the local jail. Two deputies against all the gunslingers money can buy is a bad situation to begin with but matters are actually worse when you consider the two deputies are Stumpy (Walter Brennan), a disabled old man and Dude (Dean Martin), the town drunk. A series of events throws baby-faced Ricky Nelson into the picture and soon all four men are holed up in the local jail awaiting the inevitable attack. The interplay between the actors helps to give this Western a charm that other ruff and rugged entries in the genre lack. Yet, the great thing about the film is that it never loses track of the fact that the West was an untamed frontier where order and lawlessness clashed on a daily basis and strong men were needed to keep evil in check. John Wayne personified such men like no other in the annals of cinema and Rio Bravo is filled with scenes that glorify his mythic persona. He's rugged and masculine to the end and his nobility in defense of the little people is inspiring. Sure, the muscial number with Brennan, Martin, and Nelson is memorable but the lasting memory left by the film is that of the Duke overcoming the black hats to save his town. If any actor deserves the label of icon then it is certainly John Wayne.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite 5
Review: Edit out the Angie Dickinson scenes,
and this would be a 10 star.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most enjoyable ways to spend a couple of hours.
Review: Rio Bravo is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend two hours and twenty one minutes of your life. I am a fan of Westerns, and of John Wayne movies, and this one is my favorite. My all-time favorite scene in a Western is in this film. While John Wayne and Dean Martin are doing their nightly walk through the town, Wayne's good friend Ward Bond is shot down in the street. He follows the shooter into a stable, with Martin guarding outside. When Wayne gets dust in his eyes the shooter flees. Martin was trying to check on Wayne when the shooter ran by. Martin fired at the guy, but didn't kill him. The shooter ran into the saloon filled with the bad guys. Martin knew that the killer would have muddy boots, so he checked each mans' feet. None of them were dirty, and they began to laugh at Martin, who was the town drunk. Just as he is doubting himself, Martin sees blood drip from overhead onto the bar. He takes a step, turns, and shoots into the rafters of the saloon. The killer falls down, dead. When he and Wayne inspect the killer, he has muddy boots, and a bloody leg, meaning that Martin did hit when he ran by. It's a great scene, and is worth the price of the DVD by itself.
Rating:
Summary: A Western Classic
Review: During the first five minutes of 'Rio Bravo,' not one word is spoken. None are necessary. Director Howard Hawks masterfully gives us a story that needs no dialogue as a strung-out deputy named Dude (Dean Martin) walks into a bar, desperately seeking a drink. Tough-guy Joe Burdett (Claude Akins) toys with Dude and humiliates him. When the dust settles, Burdett has killed a man and is arrested by the town sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne). Now behind bars, Burdett makes it clear that his brother and friends will be in town to break him out of jail and settle the score with the sheriff. Chance weighs his few options as he tries to prepare himself for a showdown with Burdett's gang. What does Chance have in his corner? A drunk deputy and a crippled jailer aptly named Stumpy (Walter Brennan). 'Rio Bravo,' as others have mentioned, is not a study of a man in trouble as in 'High Noon,' or a look at hate and revenge as in 'The Searchers.' No, 'Rio Bravo' is a Western more interested in pure entertainment. Consider both the elements of and the actors in the film: In 1959 John Wayne was still a major box-office attraction. Dean Martin had of course appeared in many films (Who could forget his comedies with Jerry Lewis?), but was essentially a singer who also made movies. Although Martin has some surprisingly good moments in the film, I suspect he was cast to appeal to the thirties and older female audience. For the younger female audience, there's Ricky Nelson. No stranger to acting (Remember the Ozzie and Harriet show?), Nelson appears in the film basically as a marketing ploy: He gets to sing two songs with Martin. (He even makes a pitch to the 1959 audiences in the trailer.) Then there's Walter Brennan, who is one of the all-time wonderful characters in the movies. I love him, but Stumpy begins to wear very thin as the film progresses. A very young Angie Dickinson appears in the film, but the longer she is onscreen, the less interesting her character becomes. You'd think from reading this review that I didn't like the film at all. I do like it, but I think that for the reasons mentioned above, it strays from becoming a great Western and settles instead for being a good, entertaining film that wants to appeal to a wide audience. So is this a classic that has stood the test of time? I'm not sure. In my mind, it can't approach some of the great westerns of all time like 'The Searchers,' 'Shane,' 'Red River,' 'She Wore A Yellow Ribbon,' '3:10 to Yuma,' 'High Noon,' or even 'Unforgiven.' But you could certainly do a lot worse. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Rating:
Summary: BRAVO...To Rio Bravo!!
Review: RIO BRAVO is one of the great westerns of film history with the underlying theme of ordinary men "rising to the occasion". With direction from the great Howard Hawks, John Wayne (Sheriff, John T. Chance), Dean Martin (Dude), Ricky Nelson (Colorado), and Walter Brennan (Stumpy) are holed up in the town jail to guard a man (Claude Akins) accused of slaying a saloon patron and wait to bring the man to justice. The man happens to be the brother of an evil and powerful land baron. They are stuck guarding the accused while his brother's henchmen try to free him in various ways. The backbone of the story are the four characters with strong distinct personalities and how they handle the pressure of the situation at hand while bonding together. Wayne's character is the professional, no nonsense sheriff, Dino is the drunken deputy trying to sober up and gain respect, Brennan is the old and crippled (but very reliable) deputy, and(with great surprise)is Ricky Nelson's Colorado as the untried,but able young gunhand. Hawks was accused of casting Nelson to attract the teen audiences, but the casting was perfect. Nelson pulls off the role with great professionalism, humor, and a quiet cool! It's too bad he never went on to other solid movie projects as this one. The film is a fun as well as a dramatically entertaining western. Great supporting performance by Angie Dickinson and the great character actor Ward Bond. They don't make them like this anymore. Hawks remade the movie two more times (John Wayne appeared in both remakes), the best being EL DORADO with Robert Mitchum and James Caan (as Mississipi).
Rating:
Summary: W.....................O...........................W!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is in the top three westerns of all time, right after
"The Good,The Bad and the Ugly" and "The Wild Bunch".
John Wayne classic and the action is amazing. The DVD
really allows this classic western to shine.
Rating:
Summary: What's That Song........?
Review: John Wanye plays John T. Chance a Sheriff who is holding a man in jail for murder. The man's brother is the most powerful rancher in the valley. John T. Chance is assisted by Stumpy (Walter Brennan), Dude (Dean Martin) who has just ended a two year drinking ordeal. Later on when Chance's old friend Pat (Ward Bond) comes to town he brings with him Colorado (Ricky Nelson) who is young, riding guard and is unsure if he wants to join Chance in the fight. Joe (Claude Akins)is the man being held in jail, and time and time again he is nearly released as his brother Nathan (John Russell) pays men to try and get him out. Angie Dickenson who plays Chance's love interest, can never really get him interested, these would prove to be some of John Wayne's most difficult scenes up to that point! The film with it's solid acting and rousing music score by Dimitri Tiomkin proves to be a more than enjoyable film. Howard Hawks with his very steady hand as a director has made a American classic, it's a solid film all around! Also with two catchy songs sung by Dude, Colorado and Stumpy!
Grade:A
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Transfer!!!
Review: If you are reading this review, you probably already saw this film. This happens to be my favorite John Wayne film, and I had the VHS a while ago (it got eaten by my VCR....thank goodness for DVD!!!). In case anyone has not seen it, Dean Martin as his sidekick is excellent. There are several very funny scenes, as well as great drama. The acting is also very good. The best thing about the DVD is the transfer. It is excellent, and much cleaner than the VHS. If you like this film, you MUST have it on DVD. If you like John Wayne and have not seen this one, I think you will enjoy it. It is a great film for the first the person who likes westerns. Peace, Morley
Rating:
Summary: what more do you people want?
Review: Wayne, Martin, Nelson, Dickinson, Brennan...what else does a western classic need? Oh, okay, an evil posse, recovering alcoholics, great one-liners, a guy named Dude, and plenty of sexual inuendo. Well, that's all in this movie. Great western, great film.
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