Rio Lobo (1970)

It seems by the Mountains and generally Desert looking scenery the town of Rio Lobo would be in West Texas. However, there are Saguaro Cactus and they are native to Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico across from Arizona. They are not found in any part of Texas.

Released in 1970, Howard Hawks' "Rio Lobo" starts with a thrilling Confederate train robbery of a Union gold shipment. After the war, Col. McNally (John Wayne) befriends Confederate Capt. "Frenchie" (Jorge Rivero) and his sergeant (Christopher Mitchum) to try to track down the Union traitors indirectly responsible for the gold robberies and the death of his close comrade and spiritual son. The trail leads to the West Texas town Rio Lobo and a showdown.POSITIVES:The opening credits features an exceptional two-guitar piece by Jerry Goldsmith with the camera zeroed-in closely on an acoustic guitar and the guitarist's hands. Sometimes I put the movie on just to see this part. The following half hour involves an excellent Confederate train robbery followed by the ensuing conflicts, which really make the film stand out from other Westerns. It's a great sequence, convincing and original. Civil War devotees should seek out "Rio Lobo" just for this. Three notable women are featured: Jennifer O'Neill, Susana Dosamantes and Sherry Lansing, the latter of whom went on to became president of 20th Century-Fox and, later, chairman of Paramount Pictures (she's the scarred girl Wayne more or less rides off into the sunset with). I've heard jokes/comments over the years about the number of babes in the town of Rio Lobo, most single. But, really, there's only two in the town: Maria (Susan), who is seeing Frenchie's comrade (Mitchum), and Lansing, who isn't all that exceptional anyway; O'Neill was just passing through as part of some snake oil show. The protagonists have good chemistry and camaraderie. The film was made right after the advent of the Spaghetti Western, which was known for amorality and lack of character depth. The protagonists in Italo Westerns were almost always antiheroes rather than heroes and caricatures rather than characters. They were grim, silent, one-dimensional killing machines, usually with dubious motivations (greed, revenge, lust) and just all-around comic-booky. While these types of characters are great when you're 13-20, they don't cut it when you're an adult and require more depth and realism. Don't get me wrong, the Spaghetti Westerns added (or perfected) a cool new style and grim sense of realism to the Western, but they accomplished this at the expense of morality, character depth and social realism. This explains why Clint Eastwood combined elements of both to forge the exceptional "The Outlaw Josey Wales" in 1976 after the decline of the Italo Western. Needless to say, it's nice to have a group of likable characters in "Rio Lobo" that get along and for whom you can root. An exceptional example of this good-natured camaraderie is shown in the middle of the film before the protagonists reach Rio Lobo. McNally, Frenchie and Shasta are camping out in the desert where a running joke starts concerning McNally being "comfortable" for women (but not romantically attractive). I love this sequence. There are great Arizona locations (along with Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico). In the Civil War sequences they did a pretty good job of pretending it was the East. Speaking of which, I like how the movie covers a lot of ground and isn't one-dimensional in setting. Critics complain that this makes the story disjointed when it's actually a positive thing. NEGATIVES or SUPPOSED NEGATIVES:The second half's plot concerning the political corruption in Rio Lobo is convoluted and my mind tends to wander at various points. So the story is compelling in the first half, but not so much in the second. Thankfully, the quality characters and the setting keep me watching.Some have complained about the acting, particularly O'Neill, Rivero and Mitchum, but is this their fault or the writer's? I just chalk it up to the distinctiveness of the actors. I've met numerous unique people in life who act peculiarly, but it's really just their special individuality or style. Gary Cooper & John Wayne are good examples. I think that's the case here more than anything. A couple scenes are unconvincing. For instance, when Frenchie suddenly darts into a house where Lansing's character is dressing, which is their first meeting; the ensuing conversation just doesn't smack of reality. I suppose the filmmakers were shooting for something romantically amusing, but it seems patched in from another movie. Another example is the episode where the protagonists raid the ranch house at night: People are lurking just around the corner and they aren't able to hear the nearby ruckus? Why sure! The opening score is only heard a few more times, briefly, but not with guitars like the opening. This composition is too great to be heard in such a limited capacity. Why not at least utilize it for the ending? "Rio Lobo" has slight similarities to Hawks & Wayne's "Rio Bravo" (1959) and "El Dorado" (1967), but "Rio Lobo" is far from a remake, as some suggest. It has an altogether different story. BOTTOM LINE: Yes, the story is disjointed and there are a couple unconvincing scenes, but "Rio Lobo" possesses several aspects that are really good and even great, like the opening score/guitar sequence, the thrilling train robbery & Civil War parts, the likable protagonists & their camaraderie, the beautiful women and great locations.The film runs 114 minutes.GRADE: B-

The final film is Howard Hawks The good guys vs bad guys trilogy(as i like to call it)is set during the closing days of the civil war and involves military secrets being sold the other side,a robbery in gold,and one mans quest for vengeance and justice.First of all,this is one of the greatest westerns ever made,it got brilliant acting,perfect storyline and excellently staged,fast paced action scenes.John Wayne is again reprising his role as a Man on a Mission,and he's brilliant at it(in one scene he turns the tables on his captors which results in them being sent to a POW camp),other good performances come from Mike Henry who plays the sadistic town sheriff,Jack Elam is really funny as the bitter old man who helps the duke on his quest and David Huddleston is great as the town dentist,some of the scenes in this movie are nearly the same as El Dorado(food being brought to the sheriffs office which is under siege).The storyline is excellent as it focuses a lot on betrayal and revenge,the dukes friend is killed in a train robbery and he sets out intent on finding those responsible,the idea of military secrets falling into the wrong hands was great and it gives the movie the feel of a spy thriller.There's plenty of good old western action to enjoy,including a train robbery,a house being raided and an epic shootout to climax the film,during which many a man is shot and dynamite is tossed around and a building is blown up(it quite similar to the shootout at the end of Rio Bravo),the action is very loud and it's really exciting.This is a gem of a movie,i recommend it to all John Wayne and western fans.

Civil War veteran John Wayne (as Cord McNally), former Confederate foe Jorge Rivero (Pierre "Frenchy" Cordona), and super-model Jennifer O'Neill (Shasta Delaney) ride into "Rio Lobo" to stir residents into action. Also in town are Robert's son Christopher Mitchum (as Tuscarora Phillips) and his pa Jack Elam (as "Old Man" Phillips). Proving the law of diminishing returns for his last film, herein, director Howard Hawks re-visits "El Dorado" (1966) which had re-visited "Rio Bravo" (1959). Ms. O'Neill's line, "I was running out of things to say" may apply. She is very beautiful, but needed to go over lines with her co-stars (or, maybe she did). The script seems to poke fun at Mr. Wayne's age, weight ("He's heavier than a baby whale."), and acting ("If you'd been a good enough actor.") with good-natured humor. It only helps a little.**** Rio Lobo (12/17/70) Howard Hawks ~ John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill, Jack Elam