Rio Bravo

I love Westerns and this is a typical Western. Actually I will say this is a great Western. Dean Martin plays a deputy turned town drunk who is in the process of being rehabilitated by Chance the Sheriff ( played by John Wayne.) In this role there is nothing of a stretch for Wayne. This was the Wayne role.

Interestinlgy I find now that the director Hawks did the film along with Wayne as a response to High Noon which they hated and took as an allegory to the blacklisting in Hollywood of the early fifites as releates to the Red Scare. I like to think I am a pretty bright guy but I did not see it in either movie. Certainly the Sherriff's in the movies act differently. Cooper looks for help and is deserted and Wayne refuses help not wanting to put others at risk. To me in my mind if any allegory is to be found Wayne's character would seem to be more in compassion to those blacklisted figures who refused to cooperate thus not seeking help but then again maybe it is just beyond me.

Now as a movie the story is very good. The cast is wonderful. Wayne is as at home in this role as any I have ever seen him in. Dean Martin, always likeable, is very good and Ricky Nelson adds a nice touch as Colorado. Angie Dickinson is pretty and sassy as a former card hustler that becomes the romantic interest of Wayne, this seems a stretch in regards to their age difference, and perhaps my favorite is Walter Brennan playing Stumpy who offers a comedic turn but also fits in every role he does. Brennan could act and always makes me smile.

Forget about the allegory and enjoy the movie. It is a winner.