Rio Bravo (1959)

Rio Bravo (1959) is an enjoyably low-key story about a sheriff's struggle to keep a murderer locked up in a small town jail until a federal marshal arrives.

Wheeler

A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That's all you got?

Chance

That's what I got.

John Wayne plays John T. Chance, the reliable sheriff of a small town in Texas who captures the murderer Joe Burdette. He must defend the jail from the murderer's powerful brother Nathan Burdette, who is planning a jail-break. Chance is helped by his not-so reliable deputy Dude, played by Dean Martin, and an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan). Dude does his best to keep watch for anyone suspcious coming into town while Stumpy watches the jail but makes no secret of the fact that he feels rather under-appreciated most of the time.

Directed by Howard Hawkes, the film plays out in a limited number of locations. Aside from the climactic shoot-out, most of the scenes take place either in the jail, the street just outside, or in the nearby hotel. The shadowy atmosphere created in the night scenes helps to reinforce the immediacy of the threats hanging around every corner.

The film opens with an interesting scene in which we are introduced to a number of principal characters and a murder takes place but no dialogue is spoken. We are shown how low Dude will go for a drink, Chance's disdain for his behaviour, and the ease with which Joe Burdette can take the life of someone who gets in his way.

The cast are excellent with Dean Martin especially good as a man trying to stay sober long enough to help his friend. Willie Nelson plays Colorado, a cowboy who is sympathetic to the sheriffs situation but tries to keep his nose out of things so he doesn't get shot. The other important character is Feathers, played by Angie Dickinson, who proves to be a constant source of annoyance and bewilderment for Chance.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is the laid-back interaction between the characters. This is exemplified in a great scene in the jail where Dude, Colerado, and Stumpy sing a few songs and Chance looks on, just enjoying the music.

Rio Bravo is a great western with a host of well-realised scenes but with a focus more on the mutual respect and courage of its characters than on action.

Links

The film's IMDb page

A review of the film on Salon.com

The Time Magazine review from April 6^th 1959

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.

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