Rio Bravo, 1959

John Wayne played the same heroic character he had in countless movies, and he had this character down pat. Only the names ever changed; John "T for Trouble" Chance is essentially the Ringo Kid with a few more wrinkles. He fits well here. The supporting cast is good, from Dean Martin (as the man trying to crawl out of a bottle) to Ricky Nelson as a bland but expert gunman. Howard Hawks was in the twilight of his career, but at the height of his powers; he delivered a slick movie with nearly immaculate photography and production values which showed the full support of the studio. It's probably my fault, but this movie just failed to grab me somehow. I've seen other westerns - High Noon or My Darling Clementine - where I felt some emotional stake; I got none of that here. Maybe it was a little too polished; maybe it was the gratuitous musical interlude where Dean and Ricky harmonized so beautifully; maybe the Duke just looked too heroic to be in real danger. Very well done film, but absent any real tension.

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