Review of El Dorado (1966) by Andre D — 05 Aug 2015

Reteaming Howard Hawks with John Wayne after their successful pairing on Rio Bravo, El Dorado sounded like another promising western.

John Wayne western vehicles have a very common tendency to be conventional, but I can happily say that El Dorado stand out as being one of his significantly better and more innovative films. This is because of the production values, the sense of humour and the talented cast. It still adheres to many western conventions such as a simplistic story which is rather familiar to Rio Bravo, but the fact is that there is just too much talent on board for El Dorado to do anything but embrace it all.

El Dorado does not revolve solely around John Wayne as there are multiple strong characters at the heart of the film, meaning that the script is automatically more interesting as it gives challenges to a talented cast. There are more relevant characters to the story and not just a bunch of archetypes, and many of them have there own interesting tale behind them. But best of all, the dialogue and many of the situations also benefit from a touch of comic charm. This fits into the narrative very naturally and lightens the mood as well. The humour in the film is light and does not detract from the serious nature of the story, yet it remains genuinely funny. As a result, El Dorado hardly suffers from the western convention of a slow pace. It does have some moments where things are a little dull, but that's to be expected. The humour however, is not, and so it comes off as innovative. This makes the film easier to watch, and it therefore prevents the experience from dragging on much of the time.

And in an improvement over Rio Bravo, El Dorado spreads its action out better. The story is significantly shorter, and the action is spread out sensibly instead of all happening at once during the final climax. There is sensible time given to the buildup of the action as well as there are times when audiences are given preparation for what comes in some scenes while getting instantly surprised in others. Yet what is most impressive about the action is the genuine quality of it. The shootouts in El Dorado are more versatile than the average western because they occur in a variety of settings. The first major large scale shootout of the film occurs in and around a church, and the location is capitalized on through versatile use of imagery and props for both visual and practical appeal. As well as that, there is a greater use of weapons in the story, particularly as Mississippi makes use of a heavy action Shotgun and a knife instead of a conventional revolver. The action in El Dorado is more creative than I could have expected, and since there is strong stunt involvement from the cast members as well as production values which are capitalized on to the maximum extent with broken windows and a light touch of blood, the action is actually exhilarating in El Dorado. This adds a lot of credibility to the narrative and genuine entertainment value to the experience. The action capitalizes on the impressive production values of the film to maximum extent as all the marvelous scenery, production design and costumes put a strong level of colour into the film. It is all very detailed, and the lighting captures it all with a bright sense of western life in both the day and nighttime which really captures the beauty in it all.

And as the screenplay is chock full of strong characters, the cast in El Dorado really shine.

John Wayne is excellent in El Dorado. No stranger to cowboy roles, John Wayne's performance in El Dorado reminds us why it's what he does best. He still has his iconic sophisticated demeanour about him, but he plays with it a bit this time. His character is an fearless patriot, but he comes with the vulnerability of an aging hero past his former glory to complicate the role. John Wayne manages to successfully prove himself both charming with his line delivery at some moments while thoroughly intimidating at others. The balance is grand, and it makes him unpredictable yet most welcome as the lead. John Wayne puts a strong level of depth into his character which combines his iconic charms as an actor with some the elements he explored in his revisionist films which are more aggressive, though they still remain subtle. And of course, John Wayne knows how to grip his weapon with confidence and a lack of fear in pulling the trigger. Frankly, John Wayne's instinctive charm is all too welcome in El Dorado as always, and the fact that he puts an effort into making working the comedy reminds us that his charm is still alive.

Robert Mitchum makes a powerful lead as well. While it seems like at first Robert Mitchum is present for comic relief, the humourous nature of his edge proves to just be a deadpan element of the character. In actual fact, Robert Mitchum delivers the same level of intense gritty he is iconic for in El Dorado, and he does it in the context of a broken down drunk. Robert Mitchum's performance makes a strong contrast to the effort of John Wayne as both are determined cowboys bent on fighting for the law. Robert Mitchum manages to successfully convey the archetype of a damaged old man conflicted and lost in the west but still willing to take a stand, sharing a powerful chemistry with the surrounding cast and adding his own level of depth into the film.

The instant James Caan walks on screen, he absolutely steals it. With his handsome young appeal, James Caan is a sight to behold when he enters the story walking tall. He instantly delivers his lines with firm tenacious grit and convincing southern charm. Teamed up with John Wayne, James Caan makes a powerful pair with the western legend because he evokes memories to the actor in his younger days while carrying a distinct charm of his own at the same time. It is refreshing to see such a great actor taking on cowboy role from before his 1971 Academy Award nomination for The Godfather because it proves early on what his talents are truly all about, be it making the drama of El Dorado more intense or bringing excitement to the film with the way he battles the outlaws alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. His effort is made all the more impressive by the fact that he refuses to play second fiddle to them and makes himself into an awesome action hero and capable comic foil who really stands out as a memorable presence. James Caan delivers one of his finest young performances in El Dorado, and his energy is wonderful.

So though El Dorado is not completely bereft of convention, it rises above the standard for most John Wayne western vehicles thanks to exceeding work from him, Robert Mitchum and James Caan with a screenplay that has a charming humourous touch and high quality action.