Rio Bravo Movie Review 1959

John T. Chance (Wayne) is the sheriff of a Texas border town who takes murderer Joe (Akins) into custody. Since Joe is the brother of powerful local cattle baron Nathan Burdette (Russell), the sheriff faces a blockade of gunmen hired to keep his prisoner from being brought to justice. Chance has to make do with the help of a cripple (Brennan), a drunk (Martin), and a hot-headed kid (Nelson). Long, but continually entertaining film that didn't impress critics at the time but its reputation has improved over the years. Hawks and Wayne basically remade this one with "El Dorado."

Distribution

Time-Life Video and Television, 1450 Palmyra Ave., Richmond, VA 23227-4420, Phone: (804)266-6330, Toll-free: 800-950-7887, Fax: (757)427-7905

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 140 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Westerns, Director/Star Teams: Hawks & Wayne, Gunslingers, On the Rocks, Small-Town Sheriffs, Brothers & Sisters

Screenplay

Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman

Cast

John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Claude Akins, Bob Steele, John Russell, Harry Carey, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez

Cinematography

Russell Harlan

Director

Howard Hawks

Music

Dimitri Tiomkin

Producer

Armada Productions