Rio Bravo (1959)

Yes westerns are old-fashioned now but some of the old ones like this one are still good and pleasant to watch. This movie combines in a very realistic way suspense, action, sentiment and humour. Howard Hawks has done very good movies between 1926 and 1970 not all of them westerns. This movie has great actors like John Wayne (one of Hawks' favourites) and Dean Martin who perform great roles here. This is the simple story of a small town in Texas where a sheriff (John Wayne) has two assistants, one a drunkard (Dean Martin) and the other an old crippled man. He's got to face a powerful gang that is trying to free one of its members who was arrested for murder by the sheriff. The action develops itself in several episodes many of them violent but acceptable in terms of psychological and visual reality. A good film of its kind.

This Western movie works in large part because of the interaction of the main three characters: John Chance the town sheriff, Dude as an alcoholic cowboy trying to get clean, and Stumpy as an elderly cripple who serves in the sheriff's office. They argue and spar throughout the movie, adding much comic relief to an otherwise conventional story.Joe Burnett is a powerful local rancher who kills an innocent bystander during a fight he provoked, and is arrested and taken to the town jail for it, where the sheriff and the deputized Dude and Stumpy hold him in wait for the marshal. They hold off the rancher's brother and his hired hands, while in the meantime an old friend of Chance comes to town with his group, as well as a woman named Feathers who is a card player and possible cheater. The questions are whether Chance and company can hold off the hired hands, and whether Dude can stay clean and competent as he withdraws from his alcoholism, and how good is Stumpy with his health problems anyway. Also what is the story with Colorado, the young man who came with the supply train, and will he get involved? Not until after watching the movie did I learn about this movie being a deliberate answer to "High Noon", where that sheriff kept going to the townspeople begging them for help, only they were too cowardly. Chance is different; he refuses outside help but gets it anyway. A more convincing scenario when you think about it.

The number of Westerns that Hollywood has made is mind boggling. I hate to think how many there have been. And, Westerns have suffered because of that. Just about everything you could do in a Western has been done over and over again, of course with variations, but I guess you could say that there's nothing new under the desert sun.So, to be considered one of the very best Westerns ever made is quite a compliment. But what is it that makes this Western truly special. There's nothing new here. Just about every thing in this film had been done in some other Western. But here, all those various elements come together in one film. The sheriff in trouble; nothing new. A boozy cowboy; nothing new. A hot shot young gunfighter' nothing new. A Gabby Hayes like sidekick; certainly nothing new. A seemingly floozy woman gambler; nothing new. A bully who thinks he can control everything and everyone; nothing new. A bully; nothing new. A shootout; nothing new. Ac crusader; nothing new there. And, most importantly, the camaraderie; nothing new there, either. Most Westerns are lucky to have a few such elements, but in "Rio Bravo", all those elements and many others come together perfectly.The opening scenes of the film are considered by many to be brilliant. NO DIALOG as the drunk (Dean Martin) walks into a saloon, and is seemingly offered a drink by the bully (Claude Akins), who throws a coin into a spittoon. The drunk is beginning to reach into the spittoon when it is kicked away by a towering man (John Wayne). The drunk reacts by clobbering the sheriff with a piece of firewood. The bully laughs, and is in turn attacked by the drunk. The drunk is beaten. A bystander steps in and is hot to death. The bleeding sheriff follows the bully to another saloon. Nearly 4 minutes later, finally some dialog. But that opening sequence sets the stage (so to speak) for all that is to come.A second brilliant set of scenes takes place again in a saloon after Ward Bond's character is shot to death. The assassin apparently runs into the saloon, but then disappears. Dude (Dean) wants to go in the front door for a change, so Change (Wayne) goes in the back. But no bad guy. Dude orders a drink, and then just a few drops of blood drips down from the loft above into a mug of beer. Absolutely fantastic scene.When it comes right down to it, the pivotal character in this film is Dude, played by Dean Martin. Almost everything in the film revolves around the drunk's redemption. Even Wayne once noted it. Dean's character here, however, isn't just a drunk. He coming off of a drunk and having withdrawal symptoms. A commendable performance, and an indication of what Dean was capable of...when he summoned up his ambition to really act.Another strength here is a strong supporting cast. Ricky Nelson does quite well in a very laid-back role as a sharpshooter. Angie Dickinson -- never one of my favorites -- does nicely here as slightly disreputable woman who ends up with...well, you know. And, by the way, John Wayne was often rather clumsy in romantic scenes, but here he plays well off of Angie Dickinson. And of course, special commendation to Walter Brennan -- always great -- for one of his very best film performances. And there's also Ward Bond, a character actor that I have always felt was highly underrated. For comic relief there's Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez as the hotel keeper. Gonzalez-Gonzalez made an interesting splash in show business about this time -- first noticed for a visit to Groucho Marx's "You Bet Your Life".Some have made much about the "singing segment". As illogical as it is, it works. Dean's performance of "My Rifle, My Pony, And Me" is one of Dean's finest vocal performances. And, it advances the story.Of course, there's got to be real shootout, and the shoot out in "Rio Bravo" is a humdinger and rather unique. Dude is kidnapped after a foiled jailbreak, add in dynamite at an old warehouse, mix in Wayne, Deal, and Nelson, and you've the recipe for an explosive...yet fun...conclusion. And then there's the concluding scene..,implying that Wayne and Feathers are having sex...but it's done in a clever and humorous way.A perfect picture? Well, no, but then again how many films are...probably none. I can't find anything here to criticize, but lots to praise.Well, actually I do have one criticism, but it's not about the film. It's about the Blu-Ray disc from Warner Brothers. It's not up to what we have come to expect from Blu-Ray. That's not to say it's a bad print, but it's also not top-notch.

Perhaps Howard Hawks' most acclaimed film Rio Bravo is not really that bad of a western movie but there was only just one problem that I had while watching this movie and that was the overrated performance by Angie Dickinson. Otherwise it was a good movie, and what a decent cast for a western movie which includes some of his Red River stars John Wayne and Walter Brennan, who end up teaming with Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and the man who ends up in most of Wayne's films Ward Bond. The movie goes on a par with western movie greats such as High Noon, Unforgiven, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Big Country, Pale Rider, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Winchester 73, The Naked Spur, The Cowboys, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit, The Shootist, and as I mentioned earlier Red River. Director Howard Hawks made this movie what it really is but it is not a great movie it is a good movie and a near masterpiece.