Rio Bravo – Review

A classic salon scenario sets the stage with a smokey gambling bar, whiskey, music, chatter and a bumbling drunk stumbling in. The drunk dude, or Borrachón (Martin), scans the room, slowly strolling through before locking eyes with a local outlaw named Joe Burdette at the bar. Joe smiles, and quickly mocks him tossing a coin into the spittoon next to the dude’s foot.

Enter Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne), attempting to break up the situation, however it does not go as expected. The good news is that eventually Joe winds up in the city clank, and Borrachón finally shows some worth as a deputy.

As a wagon train rolls into town led by Pat Wheeler (Bond), the cocky young Colorado Ryan (Nelson) joins the local flavor, while the old and reliable Stumpy (Brennan) helps guard the jail and back up Chance at every opportunity. The wagons contain fuel oil and dynamite, so they are parked in a safe outskirt spot out of danger.

While all of this is fairly typical for the small town, local hoodlum and big brother Nathan Burdette bottles up the town with his men, watching the Sheriff’s every move, and looking for a way to spring Joe. As the Burdette gang challenges Chance and the towns well-being, the small group of rambunctious “good guys” must join forces to protect the jail and keep their prisoner captive.

The classic western Rio Bravo is a good John Wayne vehicle, and a usual hero role for the famous actor. The story is good (however does mirror some other westerns), and the film is bolstered by a good supporting cast and vintage gunplay. It may be a tad long, and Stumpy is a bit annoying at times, but those looking for a famous western can easily start here.