Rio Bravo

Asked by Ward Bond's character who he's got to fight the gang that is terrorising the town, John Wayne, playing John T. Chance {now there's a name} tells him he has a drunk, a crazy old man, and himself. "Is that all you've got?" wonders Bond. "That's WHAT I got" says Wayne. It's a joy to watch these two old friends' scenes together, both hugely underrated actors, whatever one now thinks of their politics. It's a mystery why John Wayne is still undervalued by some as one of the greatest and most natural of all screen actors, here at his relaxed best in one of the best ever westerns, and one of America's best and most enjoyable films of the period {it was made in 1959}. The critic David Thomson ~ a big fan of Wayne, director Howard Hawks, and this film ~ has rightly noted that this is only a western because the men are wearing cowboy hats. It's a kind of chamber western, but has so many similarities to other Hawks classics such as To Have and Have Not or even Bringing Up Baby that it's only incidentally a western. Whatever you call it, it's one of the most entertaining 135 minutes you could ever hope to spend. There's one performance that stands out as very special. Duke is great, Walter Brennan as Stumpy does his irascible old man act to perfection, and the young and gorgeous Angie Dickinson squares up to Wayne like few other actresses could, but it's Dean Martin, then at the height of his fame as a crooner {and he had a voice to die for} who gives one of the most beautifully considered performances in a film I've ever seen. His helpless drunk 'Dude' {though we never actually see him drunk}, who gets little overt sympathy from Chance, is note perfect, and it's criminal that Martin wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for such unforced, touching, honest acting. There's no playing to the gallery, or 'nudges' to the viewer regarding the ongoing myth of Dino's drinking habits, just a truly great performance. It's reason alone to see this gloriously re-watchable film. Ricky Nelson acquits himself well. He was no actor, but he plays the young gunman Colorado who helps them out well enough, and his duet with Dino is good to see and hear ~ though his solo is surely one song too many. Hawks never quite got comedy right in his westerns {though he was better at it by a mile than John Ford, who appears to have possessed almost no sense of humour} but the bantering scenes between Wayne and Dickinson, as 'Feathers', still work, since both play them less for laughs than for a hesitant, touching truthfulness. In fact, Angie is just fine in this film, and don't forget she was a new face back then. I love Rio Bravo {as I do Hawks' companion movies El Dorado and Rio Lobo, both also masterpieces} and have watched it more times than I can count. It always seems like the first time, there's so much to enjoy, from Russell Harlan's superb camera work to Wayne's way with a line or simply a slow walk, to Dean Martin every time he appears. Endlessly wondrous.

In 1952 Fred Zinneman directed a picture called High Noon which won four of that year's Academy Awards. It was a story of a town marshal who had three outlaws arriving on the noon train to seek revenge for being previously jailed. The marshal spends the whole film running around town, begging for help and not getting it. Finally he is saved by his fiance, a Quaker girl who hates violence. John Wayne and the great director Howard Hawks both felt that such a story was feeble, a tale that did not reflect the character and strength of the frontier folk upon whose efforts America was originally founded. Consequently they decided to make a film about the opposite situation: a sheriff in trouble who desperately needs help but never asks for it. The result was Rio Bravo. The narrative covers a small group of individuals cut off from mainstream life, each an outsider of one sort or another. It is about the development of character rather than plot. Its themes go deep and touch on duty, moral and physical incapacity and, ultimately, the redemption that comes to the individual soul when great difficulties are faced and not shirked or glossed over. In this way Rio Bravo is a joyous, life-affirming work and very different from the superficial and cynical "spaghetti" westerns that appeared a decade later which were mere exercises in style based on the tradition of the Commedia dell'Arte. By contrast the pace of Rio Bravo is relaxed allowing for genuine character development due in part to its writer Leigh Brackett providing a woman's perspective. (How often do the fair sex write westerns?). The unfolding relationship between the sheriff and the prostitute (John Wayne and Angie Dickinson) is exquisitely crafted while Dean Martin's performance as the struggling alcoholic is an acting masterclass in itself. Rio Bravo is a strong contender for the best western of all time perhaps second only to Ford's The Searchers.

ONE OF THE BEST WESTERNS EVER MADE.NEVER GET TIRED OF WATCHING IT OVER AND OVER. I USEDTO THINK THAT DEAN MARTIN WAS JUST A SINGER.

Arrived on time and fair price . The movie its self is your typical western good guys verses bad guys and John Wayne is just John Wayne. The story is much the same as El Dorado which for me is just slightly better. Unfortunately i thought Rick Nelson was the weak link in the acting department ,he just over acted trying to be 'oh so cool' ,though i realise they needed a heart throb to appeal to the younger audience of the time. So to sum up good film let down by Rick Nelsons poor acting but dont let it put you off just my opinion .

John Wayne was the greatest screen cowboy bar none as far as I'm concerned and this is another one of his great westerns and roles.This isn't so much about plot as it is characters and atmosphere.The Duke plays the sheriff of the town with a bunch of misfits,Dean Martin (the drunk),Ricky Nelson (the novice)and Walter Brennan (the crippled old man)as they defend the town from the gunslingers desperate to break a man out of their jail.Action,humour and lots of buddy banter.Howard Hawks made a classic that inspired and influenced many directors including John Carpenter,Quentin Tarantino and Sergio Leone.(Listen out for the Mexican music that plays in one sequence which Leone wanted Ennio Morricone to capture the flavour of for A Fistful Of Dollars).Angie Dickinson plays the Duke's love interest and she ain't bad on the eye either.

One of my favourites

Classic western. One of my favourites. Dvd was perfect. Picure was sharp, sound was clear and the colours were brilliant.

Brilliant film, a western in the old style plenty of humour and great actors/acting

A l'époque du rève américain, Howard Hawks, pour génialement appuyer sur les ressources de la justice immanente, place l'action dans le cadre d'un village perdu et intemporel. Ainsi, en tout intimisme, Hawks peut détailler les surenchères de manigances d'un puissant propriétaire terrien afin de sortir de prison son inconséquent frère meurtrier. L'idée force c'est que le trio de misérables représentants de la Loi, chacun bien typé comme insuffisant, n'a nulle chance de résister bien longtemps,en tous cas pas endéans une fatidique semaine avant l'arrivée du juge.

didn't even work in my player like all the others I bought

un classico tra i film western, doppiato in italiano con tutti i sottotitoli possibili: così dovrebbe essere sempre, specie per film belli come questo.

期待とうりで良かった！！

La edición en DVD especifica que viene en idioma Español aparte del Inglés e Italiano, pero lo cierto es que el Español brilla por su ausencia. Creo que Amazon debería cuidar un poco más la información del producto. He tratado de devolverla, pero me dicen que naranjas de la China.