Rio Bravo

John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson battle the usual bad guys in Howard Hawks' laconically paced, cliché ridden, overrated 1959 Western take on The Three Musketeers. Wayne plays man's man John T. Chance, who between drying out the town drunk (Martin), mentoring a young gunslinger (Nelson), and romancing a scarlet woman (Angie Dickinson), still finds time to save the day. Wayne's scenes with the fetching young Dickinson, in which they both momentarily escape this tired genre are the best, but if you asked me to put up my Dukes I'd suggest the recently released The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (see earlier review) instead. Given the film's popularity and its critical pedigree (despite zero Oscar nominations and a lukewarm reception upon release), consider this an optional purchase for larger collections. (S. C. Sickles)[DVD Review—May 29, 2007—Warner, 2 discs, 141 min., not rated, $20.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1959's Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition) sports a nice transfer with DVD extras including audio commentary by filmmaker John Carpenter and critic Richard Schickel, the 55-minute profile “The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks,” a 33-minute “Commemoration: Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo” featurette, an “Old Tucson: Where the Legends Walked” location featurette (9 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a classic Western.]