Review of Red River (2011) by Max M — 15 Feb 2009
When speaking of director Howard Hawks, the two films that immediately leap to mind are Rio Bravo and this one. And rightfully so. Both are exceptional pieces of cinematic entertainment, but Red River is probably his most accomplished film (not that I'm putting down any of his other work - Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Scarface, Only Angels Have Wings, etc. are all extraordinarily great).
The story is basically Mutiny on the Bounty set in the West, with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift (in an astonishingly good film debut) going head to head while driving a herd of cattle up the famous Chisholm Trail.
Everything about this film is perfect; from the script by Borden Chase and Charles Schnee to Russel Harlan's extraordinary photography to Dimitri Tiomkin's rousing score to pitch-perfect performances by Wayne, Clift, Walter Brennan, John Ireland, etc. All in tune with Hawks' assured direction. All of the director's trademarks are at play here as well; tough male camaraderie, tough yet sensitive female characters, man pitted against nature, un-romanticized and exciting action. But what makes this stand above Hawks' other pictures is that the characters go a little deeper. Clift acts as a conscience to Wayne's cruel stubbornness, which allows both characters to develop more fully than a story like this usually allows.
This is as good as movies get.
This review of Red River (2011) was written by Max M on 15 Feb 2009.
Red River has generally received positive reviews.
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