Review of Rio Bravo (1959) by Katelyn H — 22 Nov 2011
The sheriff is holding the brother of the man who "owns" this western town, and all he has on his side is a drunk and a "cripple".
Background: My Dad loves westerns, and an over-sized portrait of 'The Duke' hung in my parents bedroom. Every Saturday he watched a western so I was force-fed the genre. Somehow, I missed this one.
Observations:
1) This film was made after John Wayne was firmly entrenched as 'The Duke'. The camera is all on him and he shines as his standard character type -- strong and not overly-wordy.
2) Originally, Montgomery Clift was cast as Dude, but Dean Martin stepped into the role surprisingly well, in one of his best roles.
3) The pace of the film lags in places, and modern audiences may become impatient with the lack of action in areas.
4) The age gap between Wayne and his love interest (Angie Dickinson) is 25 years -- and it shows. Dickinson holds her own against Wayne, but its not completely believable.
Why I gave it a 60%? The "romance" was actually a distraction from the story.
This review of Rio Bravo (1959) was written by Katelyn H on 22 Nov 2011.
Rio Bravo has generally received very positive reviews.
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