Rating: 
Summary: John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in a Howard Hawks film
Review: I know that "El Dorado" is basically a remake by Howard Hawks of "Rio Lobo," which was made a whole seven years earlier, but I like this 1966 film better. It is not just that you have both John Wayne and Robert Mitchum fitting comfortably into their roles but you also have young James Caan and old Arthur Hunnicutt in colorful supporting roles. There is a sense of fun to the proceedings even as everybody takes them seriously.
Wayne is Cole Thornton, an ace gunslinger who turns down an offer to join up with hired gun Nelse McLeod (Christopher George) at the behest of Bart Jason (Edward Asner), the big shot of the town of El Dorado, because it means going up against old pal J. P. Harrah (Mitchum). But it turns out that Harrah has been hitting the bottle hard, so Thorton decides to help his old friend. Unfortunately he is wounded by a bullet that is lodged near his spine and causes paralysis from time to time. Also on their side are old Bull Harris (Hunnicutt) and the young Alan Bourdillion Traherne (Caan), who is called "Mississippi" by his friends for obvious reasons. Maudie (Charlene Holt) is the woman who would like to see Colt and J.P. live to die of old age and Joey (Michele Carey) is the young hothead who shots Thornton and catches the eye of Mississippi.
This is an interesting film from Wayne's perspective because the Duke keeps letting his co-stars have most of the big moments. True, the script dictates that his character has to allow Mitchum's drunken sherrif to redeem himself, but Wayne gets credit for being the rock on which this film is made. Ultimately, "El Dorado" is driven more by the engaging characters than the action of suspense. It is also one of the last Westerns to have a rowdy theme song, with George Alexander, backed by the Mellomen, singing the title written by Nelson Riddle and George Alexander.
In addition to Hawks and Wayne being around for both films, Leigh Brackett did the screenplay for both as well and I think a large measure of the success of "El Dorado" goes to her for creating these characters. She obviously gets the credit for the dialogue, which really does not provide the sort of one-liners that you want to quote ad infinitum, but which still provides a lot of humorous little moments driven more by the characters than the words. The result is not a classic Western in the John Ford mold, but still it is a solid one which makes it well above average all things considered.
Rating:
Summary: I think it is a good movie and recommend it to anyone!
Review: I think El Derato is a good movie and is a good movie for anyone. But I would mainly recommend it to western lovers. I would also recommend any of John Wayns movies, he was a greate man.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie - Fair transfer to DVD
Review: I would always rate this John Wayne movie with 5 stars, however the transfer onto DVD made me pull off 1 star. I love the fact that this movie is finally show in widescreen format (ratio 1.85 : 1). However, the movie is very dark throughout. Certain night scenes were almost completely black on my screen. Problem here is that most of this movie is shot during night scenes, so lighting would have to be dim. What Paramount failed to recognize was that they needed to "brighten" up the picture some. The few day scenes were in great condition, and the soundtrack is excellent. As for the plot, it's a loose reworking of Rio Bravo, and it is just as good. In my opinion, this was the last movie that John Wayne made as a nimble action hero. From here on, he eased into more senior roles. One last note, I own a 50" projection screen TV, so naturally the picture is darker that a tube. My brightness was turned up full. But on a tube, the picture will be brighter. So if your going to see this on a monitor tube, and not projection, it is probably going to be ok.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the Duke's Best
Review: I'm 53 years old and have loved John Wayne since first seeing him at the movies as "Hondo" as a boy. I loved Rio Bravo, but have to give the edge to this remake. As good as the original was, El Dorado is more enjoyable and convincing to me. The Duke is as good as he ever was in his usual role as the hired gun with a conscience whose reputation alone strikes fear into the hearts of the bad guys. Few western actresses could match the young Angie Dickinson in Rio Bravo, but the male supporting cast is better in El Dorado. Mitchum is excellent, young James Caan adds charm and humor and Arthur Hunnicutt nearly steals the show in the Walter Brennan role as Mitchum's loyal, but crusty deputy, Bull. For my money, Hunnicutt is one of the great homespun character actors of all time and this is certainly one of his very best performances. Most don't know his name like they do the great Walter Brennan's but he's just as good or better. A then noname Ed Asner and Christopher George (TV's The Rat Patrol) are excellent as the main bad guys. George is actually somewhat likeable as a man willing to sell his gun to the most odious of crooks, but still possessed of a sense of fair play. Jim Davis (Jock Ewing of TV's Dallas) plays one of Asner's henchmen. This is just a great cast telling a great old west story.A recent biography of director Howard Hawks points out that Hawks badly needed a hit late in his career when El Dorado was put together. His effort is evident. Even the opening credits are great--a series of beautiful western paintings by Olaf Wieghorst, who also appears as the gunsmith, "The Swede." The title song by George Alexander is memorable as well. BTW, the poem Caan keeps quoting, which serves as the foundation for the title song, was Edgar Alan Poe's last poem--"El Dorado", of course. The movie was filmed just west of Tucson, AZ in what is today Old Tucson--a must tour for anyone interested in westerns. Westerns are still filmed there. Movies filmed there include Rio Bravo, El Dorado, McClintock, and Rio Lobo by Wayne, as well as many others such as Joe Kidd, Tombstone and even The Three Amigos.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the Duke's Best
Review: I'm 53 years old and have loved John Wayne since first seeing him at the movies as "Hondo" as a boy. I loved Rio Bravo, but have to give the edge to this remake. As good as the original was, El Dorado is more enjoyable and convincing to me. The Duke is as good as he ever was in his usual role as the hired gun with a conscience whose reputation alone strikes fear into the hearts of the bad guys. Few western actresses could match the young Angie Dickinson in Rio Bravo, but the male supporting cast is better in El Dorado. Mitchum is excellent, young James Caan adds charm and humor and Arthur Hunnicutt nearly steals the show in the Walter Brennan role as Mitchum's loyal, but crusty deputy, Bull. For my money, Hunnicutt is one of the great homespun character actors of all time and this is certainly one of his very best performances. Most don't know his name like they do the great Walter Brennan's but he's just as good or better. A then noname Ed Asner and Christopher George (TV's The Rat Patrol) are excellent as the main bad guys. George is actually somewhat likeable as a man willing to sell his gun to the most odious of crooks, but still possessed of a sense of fair play. Jim Davis (Jock Ewing of TV's Dallas) plays one of Asner's henchmen. This is just a great cast telling a great old west story. A recent biography of director Howard Hawks points out that Hawks badly needed a hit late in his career when El Dorado was put together. His effort is evident. Even the opening credits are great--a series of beautiful western paintings by Olaf Wieghorst, who also appears as the gunsmith, "The Swede." The title song by George Alexander is memorable as well. BTW, the poem Caan keeps quoting, which serves as the foundation for the title song, was Edgar Alan Poe's last poem--"El Dorado", of course. The movie was filmed just west of Tucson, AZ in what is today Old Tucson--a must tour for anyone interested in westerns. Westerns are still filmed there. Movies filmed there include Rio Bravo, El Dorado, McClintock, and Rio Lobo by Wayne, as well as many others such as Joe Kidd, Tombstone and even The Three Amigos.
Rating:
Summary: Quintessential John Wayne
Review: If you like John Wayne and the classic western genre, you'll love this film. The cast is wonderful: John Wayne and Robert Mitchum (old friends and nemesis), James Caan (what a kid!), Ed Asner, and Christopher George.
Wayne and Mitchum are a little long in the tooth and there is talk of settling down, but there are scores to settle and justice to enforce first.
Near the end of the movie is a faux pas regarding crutches. Both the heroes are using crutches by this time and Mitchum mistakenly changes the side he's using. John Wayne picks up on the oversight and quips to Mitchum in an ad-lib ( I believe) that is very clever.
John Wayne is thoroughly the "Duke" here - his swagger, tough talk, hard-bitten quips, and ironic surprise at everything that happens. I don't recall him being as "Himself" as he is in this movie.
There are many comic moments amid the classic tale of hired guns, good versus evil, fights over water rights, and "top hand" winning the girl. All in all, a delightful film well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Most favorite movie ever
Review: Im like one writer I have seen the movie 100 times,but I tell my wife that it will be good 101 times. There cant be enough said about John Wayne. There will never be another actor that can come close to the "DUKE". He can be humorus,serious,and meaningfull all in the same movie. If you hae never seen "ElDorado" I strongly recomend it you wont be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite John Wayne Film
Review: It may not have the stature--critically or in the popular mind--of the films the Duke made in his prime, like "Stagecoach," "The Searchers," or the Cavalry Trilogy, but this boisterous Western clearly shows why Wayne got away for so long with "playing himself." He and co-star Mitchum bring to the screen, if not the limber bodies of their youth, a presence and experience (between them they had more than six decades in film by the time they made this one) that we seldom see in today's stars. Very sensibly, they both play men of experience who are now slowing down a bit and beginning to think about the future they may not have anticipated having: Mitchum, as Sheriff JP Harrah, has settled down, and Wayne, as Cole Thornton, is picking his fights with care. Familiar faces abound in the supporting cast, and there's a nice mix of action, humor, and outstanding characters (Christopher George as villain Nelse McCloud is one of the samples of that species you "love to hate"). There's even a hint of romance, not only in the quirky relationship between James Caan as "Mississippi" Trehearne and Michele Carey as Joey MacDonald, but in the long history between Cole and saloonowner Maudie (Charlene Holt). I couldn't begin to guess how many times I've rewatched this movie, and I still enjoy it just as much.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite John Wayne Film
Review: It may not have the stature--critically or in the popular mind--of the films the Duke made in his prime, like "Stagecoach," "The Searchers," or the Cavalry Trilogy, but this boisterous Western clearly shows why Wayne got away for so long with "playing himself." He and co-star Mitchum bring to the screen, if not the limber bodies of their youth, a presence and experience (between them they had more than six decades in film by the time they made this one) that we seldom see in today's stars. Very sensibly, they both play men of experience who are now slowing down a bit and beginning to think about the future they may not have anticipated having: Mitchum, as Sheriff JP Harrah, has settled down, and Wayne, as Cole Thornton, is picking his fights with care. Familiar faces abound in the supporting cast, and there's a nice mix of action, humor, and outstanding characters (Christopher George as villain Nelse McCloud is one of the samples of that species you "love to hate"). There's even a hint of romance, not only in the quirky relationship between James Caan as "Mississippi" Trehearne and Michele Carey as Joey MacDonald, but in the long history between Cole and saloonowner Maudie (Charlene Holt). I couldn't begin to guess how many times I've rewatched this movie, and I still enjoy it just as much.
Rating:
Summary: Watch Rio Bravo with this 5 star classic.
Review: John Wayne was supurb in this true good vs evil western. I wish I could substitute Dean Martin in as the sheriff instead of Robert Mitchum and Walter Brennan as Bull. But this is still an amusing story.
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