Rating: 
Summary: An American Treasure
Review: In the rich history of American film, this piece of work by Howard Hawks makes the short list. It has been used as a template for any filmmaker wishing to make a Western, and further, it is one of those rare pieces of culture by which a society defines itself. If you needed to demonstrate to a foreigner what the American character is all about, you could show them this movie. As a Western, it certainly has it all: cowboys killing Indians, men leaving women for the call of the trail, gunfights, stampedes, love, betrayal, and finally redemption. It is also gorgeously filmed, beautifully written, and well acted throughout. And finally, it stars John Wayne, an actor that towers over today's crop of male actors like an oak over weeping willows. This film also stars Montgomery Clift as the surrogate son that eventually challenges Wayne for control of the drive. In terms of acting styles, Clift and Wayne were about as different as two actors could be: Wayne seemed always to act on instinct and charisma, while Clift was one of the young Turks through the 40's and 50's, a proponent of a new style of acting - the method developed by Lee Strasburg (one can easily imagine Wayne giving his crooked sarcastic grin over the very idea of a "school" where young people learn acting). Yet, casting these two together works. By all reports, the two hated each other at the beginning of the production, but had developed an actor's respect for one another by the end of filming. Wayne, after watching Clift in one of his scenes, was quoted as saying something like "damn, that little queer sure can act." John Wayne, for his part, goes toe-to-toe with the new school of internal acting and more than holds his own. His portrayal of a powerful, unbending man who slowly descends into bitterness and hate is a real treat to watch. His performance was, to use a phrase Wayne would have hated, multi-layered and very, very skillful. Other performances to watch: the ever-faithful Walter Brennan, one of the greatest character actors of all time, is perfect as Wayne's partner/friend. It is in watching Brennan's reaction to Wayne's increasing dementia that we see how far off track he's gone. John Ireland also is a standout as Cherry Valance, the pistoleer, who is full of casual grace and menace. As if all the above wasn't enough, the great Harry Carey is onboard briefly as Mr. Melville, radiating authority. Every film lover should own this film and watch it at least once annually. Every American should treasure it as a source of national pride. One note: this is one film that simply demands a better DVD treatment. The picture and sound isn't bad, but it isn't widescreen, and there are absolutely no special features. C'mon, Criterion Collections, where are you? --Mykal
Rating:
Summary: An American Treasure
Review: In the rich history of American film, this piece of work by Howard Hawks makes the short list. It has been used as a template for any filmmaker wishing to make a Western, and further, it is one of those rare pieces of culture by which a society defines itself. If you needed to demonstrate to a foreigner what the American character is all about, you could show them this movie. As a Western, it certainly has it all: cowboys killing Indians, men leaving women for the call of the trail, gunfights, stampedes, love, betrayal, and finally redemption. It is also gorgeously filmed, beautifully written, and well acted throughout. And finally, it stars John Wayne, an actor that towers over today's crop of male actors like an oak over weeping willows. This film also stars Montgomery Clift as the surrogate son that eventually challenges Wayne for control of the drive. In terms of acting styles, Clift and Wayne were about as different as two actors could be: Wayne seemed always to act on instinct and charisma, while Clift was one of the young Turks through the 40's and 50's, a proponent of a new style of acting - the method developed by Lee Strasburg (one can easily imagine Wayne giving his crooked sarcastic grin over the very idea of a "school" where young people learn acting). Yet, casting these two together works. By all reports, the two hated each other at the beginning of the production, but had developed an actor's respect for one another by the end of filming. Wayne, after watching Clift in one of his scenes, was quoted as saying something like "damn, that little queer sure can act." John Wayne, for his part, goes toe-to-toe with the new school of internal acting and more than holds his own. His portrayal of a powerful, unbending man who slowly descends into bitterness and hate is a real treat to watch. His performance was, to use a phrase Wayne would have hated, multi-layered and very, very skillful. Other performances to watch: the ever-faithful Walter Brennan, one of the greatest character actors of all time, is perfect as Wayne's partner/friend. It is in watching Brennan's reaction to Wayne's increasing dementia that we see how far off track he's gone. John Ireland also is a standout as Cherry Valance, the pistoleer, who is full of casual grace and menace. As if all the above wasn't enough, the great Harry Carey is onboard briefly as Mr. Melville, radiating authority. Every film lover should own this film and watch it at least once annually. Every American should treasure it as a source of national pride. One note: this is one film that simply demands a better DVD treatment. The picture and sound isn't bad, but it isn't widescreen, and there are absolutely no special features. C'mon, Criterion Collections, where are you? --Mykal
Rating:
Summary: birth of capitalism
Review: In today's times of worry, this film can be seen from many points of view: one is a superb western, and B&W phtography drmatizes that all. But also there's Dunson, the beginner or the man of big ideas and projects (the lands were property of "El Rey de las Españas" as says the Mexican gunman to the service of D. Diego. Dunson kills the Mexican and here he's very capable yet until some more time.
But after this he's surpassed and his brutality end energy is no more necessary and an error so he falls in a sort of psychopatology. These are the time not of the founders, but of the "managers", in this case personified in Montgomery Clift which knows what to do not only with the cattle but with the railway, the money and summing up, managing a business, the abilities that Dunson lacks.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best western I've ever seen.
Review: It is no mean coincidence that I picked tdunson as my e-mail id. Tom Dunson was perhaps even more than Ethan Edwards the quintessential John Wayne part. It displayed facets that we came to know all too in the following years. A strong vital man with admirable qualities and flaws that we accepted because the good in this character always outweighed any bad. He had a goal and a vision and would not brook any diversion from his goal. He told his men up front what he expected of them, he told them he would hold nothing against them if they didn't go along with his terms. He also told them not to try to quit if they did. He learns by the end of the film that he had to bend in his philosophy but you never lost your respect for the character in the process. Howard Hawks delivered a passionate epic that stands as high in my estimation as Shane,My Darling Clementine, and Winchester'73 . These and others were the blueprint for the concept of the literate adult western. They don't get any better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Cows rule
Review: It was sorta cool, but did it HAVE to be in black and white? They should colorize all these old movies or just throw them away because nobody wants to watch black and white movies anymore. When the cowboys are looking at the water and saying it's the Red River you just have to take their word for it.
The part with the stampede was totally cool. That part rocked!!! Those cows trampled all over this one dude, but not before he threw this look of woe and maudlin agony at the camera. He had it coming because earlier he was singing to the cows to quiet them down, and John Wayne asked him what he wanted from the cattle drive and he said enough money to buy his wife a new pair of shoes. Whenever there's a weak little guy in a western movie, you know he's gonna get it. John Wayne totally needs to take anger management classes, though. His whole approach to dealing with stress is to kill the person who upset him.
... Anyway, this was an okay movie. Maybe kinda long. But I give it 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Howard Hawks scored big...
Review: It's my understanding that this was Howard Hawks' first western film -- his achievement is simply magnificent. I'm a western fan and like to collection DVD westerns, a long-term project limited only by my budget. John Wayne is excellent as Thomas Dunson, although his character's decision to begin a cattle drive to Missouri without any knowledge that the railroad had already reached Abilene, Kansas is, well..., a bit hard to swallow, considering, in just fourteen years, Dunson had the strength and intelligence to build the largest ranch in Texas, gathering 9,000 head of cattle to drive to the railhead. If you can accept that, and western fans, always have to accept something of this sort...well "Red River" is top-notch entertainment. What the DVD lacks is interviews with people long gone...what a treat it would be to hear comments from Wayne, Hawks, Clift and others. The "Tess Millay" character, played well by the beauitful Joanne Dru, adds little to (even seems to clutter) the story, although it is and was essential for sexy females to bring sense and sensibility to male antagonists. I also want to especially mention enjoying the performances of Walter Brennan, John Ireland and Noah Beery, Jr.
Rating:
Summary: Red River
Review: John Wayne at his best in the wonderful old time western. One of my favs.! He has made a lot of great movies but this one is what I consider one of his better ones!
Rating: 
Summary: "Take 'em to Missouri, Matt!''
Review: John Wayne has played variations on his tough-guy persona throughout the years. From the noble tough-guy in Stagecoach (1939) to the senstivie tough-guy in The Quiet Man (1952), Wayne has displayed enough different sides of his persona to keep his performances from being considered carbon copies of each other. In Howard Hawks' Red River (1948), we are privy to the uncompromising, masculine-to-the-max 100% all-man John Wayne. Wayne plays Tom Dunson (Wayne), a driven man who sets out West in 1851 and winds up in Texas with the goal of starting a cattle ranch. His only companion is Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan) but soon after an Indian raid destroys Dunson's former wagon train group, Dunson takes in the lone survivor of the raid - a young boy named Matt Garth. Years past and Garth (played as an adult by Montgomery Clift) is poised to become the heir to Dunson's cattle ranch. However, tempers flare when Dunson and Garth must embark on a historic cattle drive to take 9,000 head of cattle to Missouri. Both men have a falling out over where the cattle should be delivered, the men want to take them to Abilene, but Dunson stubbornly wants to continue with the more difficult trek to Missouri. A revolt breaks out and soon Dunson is banished from his own cattle drive. As a pure Western, Red River is a glorious gem within the genre. Yet, the film bogs down a little when Tess Millay (Joanne Dru) enters the picture. The story arc that involves her courting by both Dunson and Garth comes across as awkward. The energy produced by the cattle drive arc just aren't there in the romantic triangle arc. Yet, the film is still a wonder to behold because of Wayne's bravura, archetype performance. To watch Wayne in his prime is to be inspired.
Rating:
Summary: Black and white sensation!
Review: John Wayne's Red River is one of the most exciting and classical westerns of our century. So, if somebody hates black and white, screw them, it's their problem. Don't even review the product, genius! Alongside The Searchers, this is one of the Duke's landmark films. Also, John Wayne was our ultimate hero, prevailing in every gunfight and every story. His acting AND his strength certainly prevail here. Also filled with action packed gunfights and suspenseful scenes. The ending is fine.
The DVD transfer is nothing special, and somewhat grainy at times. MGM DVDS are not known to be the best DVD makers on the market. To shape up this classic western, expect a Criterion Collection re release and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: SON OF A GUN(-MAN)
Review: Just a scene access and various subtitles as bonus features of the RED RIVER MGM DVD presentation. Meager. Furthermore, the copy chosen is not of the quality one could have expected from an eminent Hollywood studio. Shameful. Howard Hawks's RED RIVER is on my list of the ten best westerns ever made. Against the legendary John Wayne, Montgomery Clift plays the character of the Duke's adopted son. His low-keyed performance is, in my opinion, unique at that pre-Marlon Brando time. From his first appearance as a young boy on, Howard Hawks characterizes him as -a man with a gun- and gives to this manly attribute a symbolic role throughout the entire movie. Hence, the relation Montgomery Clift-John Ireland can be read at a level invisible for the blind monks of the Hays Code. A recurrent theme appearing in the Hawksian filmography is the theme of the Strong Woman. So let's admire the character of Joanne Dru who is not disturbed at all by the arrow stuck in her shoulder and who, later in the movie, is the only character who's got the guts to face John Wayne, the granite Father. RED RIVER is a movie that must absolutely have a place in your library. It's a movie that has influenced a lot Steven Spielberg and company , it's a milestone in Movie History. It's a masterpiece. A DVD zone reference.
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