Rio Bravo (1959)

The Story

“If I had to choose a film that would justify the existence of Hollywood, I think it would be Rio Bravo” – Robin Wood

“A masterpiece among Westerns”– Molly Haskell

Sheriff John Chance (John Wayne) holds a killer in jail and waits for a United States Marshal to come to his border-town of Rio Bravo. The prisoner’s family and hired guns start besieging the town and the jail. Chance’s helpers are his ex-deputy Dude (Dean Martin), now the town drunk; a cantankerous old cripple Stumpy (Walter Brennan); a young hotshot gunfighter Colorado (Ricky Nelson); and a passing gambler known as Feathers (Angie Dickinson). One of the most beloved of all Westerns, Rio Bravo was so successful at the box office, Howard Hawks directed two further revisions of the same story (El Dorado and Rio Lobo). It's based in a small town in the West after the pioneers have left – all stagecoaches, hotel owners, sheriffs, deputies, farmers, gamblers and hired guns. This 4K Ultra High-Definition restoration is from Warner Bros. in collaboration with The Film Foundation.

Introduced by Claude Gonzalez at Ritz Cinemas and Eloise Ross at Lido Cinemas.

“To watch Rio Bravo is to see a master craftsman at work. The film is seamless. There is not a shot that is wrong. It is uncommonly absorbing, and the 141 minutes running time flows past like running water.” – Roger Ebert 

“The real revelation, however, is Dean Martin, in a part he obviously understood well. His role as the drunken deputy who redeems himself is crucial to the film and the singer-actor handles his part with skill.” – Virgin Film Guide 

“It’s the sort of film, in David Thomson’s words, which reveals that ‘men are more expressive rolling a cigarette than saving the world.’” – Geoff Andrew 

Rating

PG

Duration

141 min

Cast

John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson

Director

Howard Hawks