I am not the biggest fan of westerns, but I have liked a lot of what I've seen. Rio Bravo I accept has been acclaimed, but when I saw it myself, I liked it but I wouldn't go to say it is the best western ever. Starting with its problems, it is much too long, it could have done with being 8-10 minutes shorter. Also I have seen reviews not on here that say it is majestically paced but I cannot say I agree, I for one found it too slow. While there was some good acting, Angie Dickinson does overdo her part and it doesn't help her character and situation are both underdeveloped. So what were the good things? Well the scenery and cinematography are magnificent, the score rousing, haunting and bombastic, the story intriguing, the dialogue excellent and the direction superb. And John Wayne, while he has been better, does give a good and charismatic performance in the lead, while Dean Martin is likable enough and Walter Brennan is wonderful. Overall, it is good but not as good as I'd heard it was. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I noticed that a few reviewers gave RIO BRAVO scores of 10. Well, I certainly can understand this, as it is one of the better Westerns you can see, but I also am very hesitant to toss out 10s--as not many movies are perfect enough to merit this score. And, while I loved RIO BRAVO, I also must admit that there are a few films of the genre that are better...though not many.

One thing I noticed as I saw this film again today is that it is so much better than I'd remembered. Some of this might be because there are a lot of details about films and film making I notice now that I have a bazillion film reviews behind me--I couldn't help but learn a little bit after seeing so many films. Some of it might also be that despite me knowing the plot and knowing exactly what would happen, it just didn't get old--it was that well made.

Now the plot itself is amazingly simple and is not 100% new (hence, my giving the film a 9). The idea of a lawman or group of lawmen refusing to give up a murderer to a rich and powerful boss and steadfastly enforcing the law is such a classic plot line. However, this film is a great example of taking a standard plot yet making it come alive due to such incredibly deft direction. Howard Hawks was a master director with a ton of wonderful films to his credit. You can really tell he knew his craft, as he brought so much out of the actors and situation. In some ways, I even preferred it over the John Ford style, as Ford is usually very, very heavy on the sentimentality. Here, while there is a tiny bit, the emphasis seems to be more on character development, redemption and the individual's interactions with each other. Somewhat similar to Ford--just with less of the lovely schmaltz that Ford did so well. I love both style--and it's amazing that Hawks really only made a few Westerns.

In some ways, this film seems a bit surprising for a John Wayne film. While Wayne is naturally known for his extreme manliness in his movies, here he is more complex and vulnerable. First, his romantic pairing with a much younger Angie Dickenson is odd but somehow they make it work and bring out a bit more complexity to his character. Second, there is a lot of wonderful male bonding in the film--and a lot of tenderness. This is not a homophobic film, as the men truly seem to love and care for each other in a way you often don't see in Westerns. It's not all toughness but the vulnerability of the characters (especially Dean Martin) was endearing. Also, while it was very, very atypical of Wayne, I loved the scene where he kissed Walter Brennan on top of the head--it was wonderful and made me laugh. It's funny, because as it was about to happen I said to myself that if Wayne should kiss Brennan, it would be the perfect scene...and then he did!

One thing that worried me about the film was that in several Wayne films of the late 50s and into the early 70s, Wayne had young pop singers play important roles. While this sometimes worked, sometimes the acting and characters didn't really pan out well (such as Bobby Vinton playing Wayne's son in BIG JAKE). Here, fortunately, Ricky Nelson actually was a positive addition. Not only did his acting seem polished (after years of playing on "Ozzie and Harriet") but his singing actually worked well--even if the style was anachronistic to the Old West. I particularly liked his little duet with Dean Martin. As for Martin, he showed that despite the Matt Helm films and his laid back attitude towards acting in the 70s, he was a terrific actor.

As for everyone else, they were in top form. Wayne was a gentler and more believable guy--but still the John Wayne everyone wanted to see. Walter Brennan was downright hilarious as the cantankerous old cuss he grew into in his later years (though he was actually a bit younger than he looked and acted). Angie Dickenson also had more depth and appeal than usual. Interestingly, Hawks and the script put so much emphasis on the good guys that the bad guys were almost an after-thought. This isn't a bad thing, as the film chose instead to deal with the way the good guys got along and worked together as friends.

Exceptional direction, great acting and a top-notch script, this is a fine film and one any fan of Westerns or John Wayne simply has to watch. I liked the trivia section of IMDb and its entry that says "Quentin Tarantino has said that before he enters into a relationship with a girl, he always shows her 'Rio Bravo' and if she doesn't like it, there is no relationship." I would agree. Anyone who doesn't like this film after seeing it isn't to be trusted!

By the way, although I love this film, I am less in love with EL DORADO. A decade later, Hawks basically redid RIO BRAVO (again, with Wayne) and it offers no improvements at all over the original. Hawks denied that it was a remake and if you believe that, I'll sell you some oceanfront property in Colorado! It's watchable, but you see the two side-by-side, there's simply no comparison.

For many, Hawks' 'Rio Bravo' is the perfect Western... For me it is the antithesis of 'High Noon,' and the clearest exposition of Hawks' philosophy of professionalism... His tough lawman solves his own problem without going out looking for help... So he welcomes volunteers and in fact depends on them... What is more, he wins by displaying superior skills and quicker wits...

The survivors in Hawks' philosophy are the ones who conduct themselves with the greatest degree of coolness and discipline... It is not difficult to appreciate why Hawks has used substantially the 'Rio Bravo' plot, with only minor variations in both his subsequent Westerns, 'El Dorado' and 'Rio Lobo.'

In Fred Zinneman's 'High Noon,' Gary Cooper struggles to round up a posse that might help him deal with four desperadoes arriving on a noon train to kill him... In "Rio Bravo," John Wayne is faced with a similar situation but takes on the forces of evil in the shape of a gang of local tyrants...

Wayne always makes us feel that somehow he'll cope... So when the wagon master Ward Bond asks him if he wants to use any of his men as deputies in fighting Burdette's men, he turns down the offer... Wayne, holding a brutish prisoner Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) on a murder charge, waits for the U.S. marshal to take charge of him... But the prisoner's powerful brother Nathan (John Russell) wants him free and is determined to release him by any method possible...

The obvious method is the traditional one—hired gunmen—and, in effect, the sheriff becomes a prisoner himself, in his own town… But in this instance the lawman is not absolutely without help... The two deputies are a semi-crippled veteran (Walter Brennan) and a pretty hopeless drunk with a past 'fast' reputation (Dean Martin).

But the whole point about this cleverly conceived movie is that this unlikely trio do in fact have something to offer when the cards are dealt... Like the sheriff, they're professional people, and what Hawks seems to be saying is that whatever the odds, such people will always have the courage, and the deeds... This is demonstrated in one inspired sequence which has become a classic: Dean Martin – drying out and eager to win back his self-respect – tells Chance that he wants to be the one who chase the killer into a saloon, and that Chance should assume the less dangerous role of backing him up from the back door...

'Rio Bravo' is a beautifully controlled film... John Wayne, who re-created and heightened the mythology of the West, is at his best...

John Ford imitates Howard Hawks' tendency for having his male characters never back down from a fight even when it means they are initiating the fight themselves... In Rio Bravo's famous wordless opening, villain Claude Akins throws a silver dollar into a spittoon, daring Dude, so desperate for a drink, to humiliate himself, and get the coin... Hawks' clever camera emphasizes how far beneath the standards Dude has fallen... Now Wayne is ready to confront Akins...

The same scene in Ford's 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.' Lee Marvin trips unarmed James Stewart as he carries a steak dinner to Wayne in the restaurant where he works... He stumbles and the steak falls to the ground... Stewart has been obviously humiliated... Suddenly Wayne enters the frame, and orders Valance to peak up 'his' steak, revealing his gun belt as he faces him... He is ready for the showdown...

In 'Rio Bravo,' Hawks' men win out primarily because they fight together... But Hawks helps them by having the outlaws mistakenly play a Mexican tune called 'cutthroat,' a song which Santa Anna tried to intimidate the Texans under siege in the Alamo... As the music plays, we see Dude putting down his glass untouched... He observes that his hands no longer shake...

In Hawks' 'Rio Bravo' there is tenderness, and humor... In Hawks' film, a man is defined by how well he relates to women, how well he handles pressure and how he reacts to danger... Angie Dickinson playing the gambling gal, enriches the mixture with a nicely judged performance...

'Rio Bravo' is an action Western, which captures a legendary West that fits the legendary talents of Wayne and Hawks... But what makes the film so special is the relationship between the individual characters... It is a traditional, straightforward Western, good-humored and exciting, rich in original touches...

The best moment of the film when Martin and Nelson join each other for some singing and guitar picking, and Walter Brennan joins in with his harmonica and his scratchy voice... The film has a terrific score by one of the great film composers Dimitri Tiomkin...