Review of Rio Bravo (1959) by Chris B — 19 Feb 2011

Arguably director Howard Hawks' greatest film, this Western tells of a local sheriff, played by John Wayne, who is pitched against a group of villains trying to free a murderer being held in the town's jail.

In the years since its release in 1959,the film has been re-made twice as a Western , and also provided the inspiration for John Carpenter's 'Assault on Precinct 13' (1976.) Hawks' film itself was actually inspired by another Western, which was released seven years earlier.

Fred Zinnemann's 'High Noon' (1952), starred Gary Cooper as a town sheriff, who finds himself the target of a vengeful criminal, whom he bought to justice years earlier. Alone against his enemy, Cooper's sheriff appeals to his townspeople for help, and none of them answer this call, leaving him to fight alone.

Both Hawks and Wayne believed that a sheriff would never act in this manner and consequently, whilst various people offer to help Wayne's sheriff, he rejects their assistance, preferring to stand alone.

For the most part the film eschews the expansive outdoor locales and vistas which characterise many Westerns, and is principally shot inside, which helps create a sense of claustrophobia. The performances of the lead characters complement each other very well, with Walter Brennan providing some very funny comic relief.

Meanwhile Hawks' direction is typically assured throughout, not least in the opening scenes of the film, completely bereft of dialogue.