Rio Lobo

This 1970 final feature from the great American director Howard Hawks (and his fifth Western with John Wayne) is in many ways a reprise of Rio Bravo (1959) and El Dorado (1967), with Wayne starring as Cord McNally, a Union colonel in charge of an Army “pay train” that is attacked by Confederates who steal its gold. After the end of the Civil War, McNally befriends two of the rebels involved in the robbery, Pierre Cordona (Jorge Rivero) and Tuscarora Phillips (Christopher Mitchum), and joins forces with them to track down the Union traitor (Victor French) who tipped them off. They find the culprit—now known as Ketchum—in tiny Rio Lobo, where he's become the corrupt town boss, installing a lackey sheriff (Mike Henry) and using threats, extortion, and intimidation to seize land from the local ranchers. Rivero and Mitchum have little screen presence next to Wayne's stature when he cocks a hip or drawls a line. Jennifer O'Neill is lovely as Shasta Delaney, who joins the effort to end Ketchum's treachery, but she lacks the sexy spunk of costar Sherry Lansing, who plays Amelita, an acquaintance of Tuscarora's. Jack Elam gets the ornery coot role here and runs with it, overacting shamelessly. While undeniably second-rate Hawks, he's still the pro's pro and shows it in both the opening heist and finale shootout. A thoroughly enjoyable old-fashioned oater, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 8, 2017—Paramount, 2 discs, 223 min., G/PG-13, Blu-ray: $22.98—Making their latest appearances on Blu-ray, 1970's Rio Lobo and 1971's Big Jake both feature fine transfers and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack, but no extras. Bottom line: a bargain two-fer of Duke classics.]