Review of Red River (2009) by Joe L — 29 Apr 2009
Like most of the westerns on my list, I appreciate them more after reading ebert's essays on them, but i'm finding most of these old westerns difficult to engage with. they feature essentially the same characters and morality as film noir, only with a dustier setting.
montgomery clift makes his film debut in an oscar nominated performance that was difficult to distinguish between his acting and exquisite face - at one point, after getting punched and grazed by a bullet, his character's woman cries out 'your face!' ebert points out the gay subtext in a scene where clift trades guns with his rival.
. very interesting. the other compelling angle is the actorly competition between clift and john wayne, who while charismatic, has never impressed me as an actor. this is apparently among his deepest performances.
This review of Red River (2009) was written by Joe L on 29 Apr 2009.
Red River has generally received positive reviews.
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