Rio Bravo Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Excellent western and I'm not a John Wayne fan

Somebody was talking to me about how good they thought that Open Range was and I found this film to be very similar in its style with a surprisingly good performance from John Wayne holding the attention. I'm not a big fan of his, finding his acting a bit limited by the boundaries of his own personality yet this film is one that I really enjoyed. Some really surprising dialogue, decent action and good characterisation turned this into a very enjoyable western. It has dated slightly, with the final five minutes being a bit of a drag but it was tense, funny, dramatic and most importantly, entertaining. My first Howard Hawks western and I'll definitely be having a look at some others.

The definitive western

It says all that needs to be said about friendship, self respect, loyalty, courage, and, well, simply knowing and doing what's right! At its best the Western was a morality play. It was about not just knowing how to fight but knowing when it's right to fight (well that was Shane, but the principle's the same). It was about being on the side of the angels, even if you've only got one leg or you're a washed up drunk. Martin was never better, and the Duke never more vulnerable - at least to a young Angie Dickinson.

Although I am a Wayne fan, this is probably one of his most forgettable. I liked the El Dorado version better

Iconoclastic western

Ignore El Dorado... the recycled and inferior version.

This is the one :)

Great characters, great songs, great all round. Dean Martin in what I think was his best film role. Eeven Ricky Nelson is watchable :/

Superb.

QUALITY

Probably a benchmark that all great westerns aspire to, Rio Bravo features the man himself (John Wayne) and also has crooner Dean Martin to add spice to the mixture. Walter Brennan is always affable as that `old chap`, there is a dame (of course!) and the film picks an exciting storyline with classic western scenes. Very enjoyable and thank goodness it's in technicolor unlike most Howard Hawk films!

Great entertainment

An unbelievable fairy tale but great entertainment. John Wayne playing John Wayne to perfection, Angie Dickenson a caricature of a seductress, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson two of the most unlikely gunslingers in film history and Walter Brennan absolutely hilarious. I'm looking forward to seeing it again in another five years' time.

Classic movie

Probably Dean Martin's best performance as the recovering alcoholic gun man.

Fantastic script, taught, lean and funny in places. The love story subplot is the only weak link. Angie Dickinson looks fantastic in her undies tho!

A Classic

A classic John Wayne western with good suporting performances from Walter Brennan, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Class

Quality actors quality film.

If you like good stories with good actors, if you like your westerns then you'll love this.

Rio? Bravo!

Even though it is slightly over-long and drags toward the end, 'Rio Bravo' is a classic of the Western genre. It's true that this is ostensibly a morality play and the moral here is that, in the Wild West, some law was better than no law. This is the first Howard Hawks film that I've seen and I'm impressed. John Wayne, (who grows on me the more films I see of his), plays his ubiquitous charismatic tough guy perfectly. Did he just play himself, or a version of himself, in his films? Possibly. But nevertheless, he is fun to watch. There are some great shots here of sunsets and blazing red skies that will light up your TV screen. It is also worth seeing for the sidekick characters of Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson who are both impressive, and the wonderful character of Stumpy played by Walter Brennan is worth the price of admission alone - he will bring a smile to the stoniest of faces. Also a surprise was the incredibly young Angie Dickinson playing Wayne's love interest. It's no wonder she went on to bigger things based on the quality of her performance here. This one is definitely worth a look.