I’m not referring to the Janet Jackson song nor the Emmylou Harris classic. Instead, let’s take a look at the reunion of Director Howard Hawks and Icon/star John Wayne in a western that is on the latest Sight & Sound list of The Greatest Films of All-Time! A timeless classic that puts the viewer on simmer with a slow ratcheting of the heat to the big climax! A fun movie that you might have missed!
Director Hawks and Star Wayne had previously teamed to make the groundbreaking western ‘Red River’. I wrote a piece about that wonderful film and its impact on modern cinema. You can find that article here:
The duo would reunite to make a film that many, including Wayne, have called the response to ‘High Noon’. 1959’s ‘Rio Bravo’ stars Wayne as the sheriff in a small western town. When the brother of the local thug/land baron murders a patron in a bar, Wayne arrests him and means to hold him until the U.S. Marshall can arrive. Veteran actor John Russell plays the land baron with aplomb. ‘Rio Bravo’ becomes a battle of wits, fists and guns between the sheriff and his team vs. the gang of bad guys. Wayne’s team includes Walter Brennan, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson and teen heartthrob Ricky Nelson. Opposing them Claude Akins joins as the troublemaking brother whose murder starts all the trouble. Hawks does a great job with such a deep cast.
The strength of ‘Rio Bravo’ is in that cast, the tight script, the score by the great Dmitri Tiomkin and, above all, the direction by Howard Hawks. He sets the scene quickly and slowly builds the intensity over the course of the film. That simple story has become a staple of film making around the world. From John Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ to ‘Dirty Harry’ to ‘Die Hard’ to Hawks’ own ‘El Dorado’, this saga continues to fascinate storytellers. By making the characters fairly overt in their beliefs and goals a few have called this film “slow-moving” or “silly”. But those same critics also love the film and continue to voice that appreciation to this day. It’s inclusion on Sight & Sound’s most recent Greatest Films Ever Made poll shows that respect.
While the plot is incredibly straight-forward, it is the treatment of the subject that draws much of the modern focus for ‘Rio Bravo’. A few years earlier ‘High Noon’ had garnered worldwide attention for its sheriff that needs the help of those around him, but he was unable to find the support he would need. Both Hawks and Wayne thought that film lacked the “proper” version of the story and they created this film to show their vision. A vision of heroism, duty and, most of all, America. In ‘Rio Bravo’ the sheriff does his duty to protect the townspeople and they rally to his aid. Wayne’s on-screen persona and off-screen personality both lend credence to the American hero persevering in the face of all odds. And, they both felt that Americans will always back the police in their efforts to “clean-up the town”. The two used this film to show their love for the movie genre and for the U.S. mythology.
Two fun songs from Martin and Nelson, a love interest in the beautiful Angie Dickinson, hard charging Wayne and the slow build of tension by Hawks make ‘Rio Bravo’ a fantastically fun flick! Unfortunately no one is streaming it right now for free. To enjoy the movie you will have to rent or buy.
Side notes: Director/writer Quentin Tarantino has said this is his favorite “hangout movie” and that if his date doesn’t like it the relationship is over. Take that as you will. ‘Rio Bravo’ is one of only two westerns in the top 100 of the 2022 Sight & Sound list. ‘The Searchers’ is the other. Elvis desperately wanted to play the part that would eventually go to Ricky Nelson. His manager, Col. Parker, demanded that Elvis receive top billing. Over even John Wayne. Hawks politely refused. ‘Rio Bravo’ was a huge international success. It was so big in Italy that it is credited with inspiring all the spaghetti westerns of the 60s. The cowboy killed by Akins’ character, at the start of the film, is played by Bing Russell. He is the father of Kurt Russell and a veteran actor himself.
I love John Wayne, especially in westerns.