They say that the best way to make a comment about a movie is to make a film of your own as a form of rebuttal. Both actor John Wayne and director Howard Hawks were not fans of the classic HIGH NOON: Wayne (who had been offered the part of Will Kane) felt that the movie was an un-American portrayal of the Old West while Hawks simply felt that Kane was a wimp for asking for help from the very people he was assigned to protect. That dislike led to the making of RIO BRAVO. Is it better than HIGH NOON? I don't think so, but it's still a good movie.
RIO BRAVO stars Wayne as sheriff John T. Chance, who always totes his trusty Winchester rifle (because he doesn't feel as confident with a six-shooter). At the opening of the movie, Chance and his drunken deputy, Dude (Dean Martin), are bringing in outlaw Joe Burdette (Claude Akins). After Burdette's arrest, his brother, Nathan (John Russell), brings in his gang to bust him out by any means necessary. Meanwhile, cattleman Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond) comes into town and hears about Chance's problems. He offers his men as help, Chance refuses, feeling that they'd be no match for the professional guns hired by Burdette. However, when Wheeler is killed, one of his men, Colorado (Ricky Nelson), decides to help out Chance. It ends up being Chance, Dude (nicknamed "Borachon", Spanish for "the drunken one), the gimpy Stumpy (the irrepressible Walter Brennan) and Colorado against the killers of the Burdette gang.
Also thrown into this mix Feathers (Angie Dickinson), the woman who just may have sent Dude on a drinking spree. She's not a femme fatale but she is also no damsel-in-distress neither as she makes romantic overtures towards Chance. This leads Dude into getting captured by Burdette and sets things up for a big showdown that ends with a bang in more ways than one.
The best performance in the movie, hands down, goes to Martin, who sort of dirty ups his "lovable drunk" image here. Nelson does well too as a fast draw. However, as comparisons to HIGH NOON come up, I find this film lacking: in the former film, the hero asks for help, doesn't get it and ends up standing alone. Here, the hero is offered help, refuses, but gets help nonetheless. The villains here aren't exactly given much screen time and what they have isn't utilized well. I had no idea why the Burdettes were supposed to be such bad men. The shootouts in both films are good for different reasons; HN's is more suspenseful while RB's is pure action. The women in both films are good, again, both for different reasons. I still like HIGH NOON more, but RIO BRAVO isn't a bad way to spend a night if you're in the mood for a good Western.
RIO BRAVO stars Wayne as sheriff John T. Chance, who always totes his trusty Winchester rifle (because he doesn't feel as confident with a six-shooter). At the opening of the movie, Chance and his drunken deputy, Dude (Dean Martin), are bringing in outlaw Joe Burdette (Claude Akins). After Burdette's arrest, his brother, Nathan (John Russell), brings in his gang to bust him out by any means necessary. Meanwhile, cattleman Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond) comes into town and hears about Chance's problems. He offers his men as help, Chance refuses, feeling that they'd be no match for the professional guns hired by Burdette. However, when Wheeler is killed, one of his men, Colorado (Ricky Nelson), decides to help out Chance. It ends up being Chance, Dude (nicknamed "Borachon", Spanish for "the drunken one), the gimpy Stumpy (the irrepressible Walter Brennan) and Colorado against the killers of the Burdette gang.
Also thrown into this mix Feathers (Angie Dickinson), the woman who just may have sent Dude on a drinking spree. She's not a femme fatale but she is also no damsel-in-distress neither as she makes romantic overtures towards Chance. This leads Dude into getting captured by Burdette and sets things up for a big showdown that ends with a bang in more ways than one.
The best performance in the movie, hands down, goes to Martin, who sort of dirty ups his "lovable drunk" image here. Nelson does well too as a fast draw. However, as comparisons to HIGH NOON come up, I find this film lacking: in the former film, the hero asks for help, doesn't get it and ends up standing alone. Here, the hero is offered help, refuses, but gets help nonetheless. The villains here aren't exactly given much screen time and what they have isn't utilized well. I had no idea why the Burdettes were supposed to be such bad men. The shootouts in both films are good for different reasons; HN's is more suspenseful while RB's is pure action. The women in both films are good, again, both for different reasons. I still like HIGH NOON more, but RIO BRAVO isn't a bad way to spend a night if you're in the mood for a good Western.