Rio Lobo (1970)

Involving and fascinating Western with crisp action , masterfully directed by Howard Hawks , being a take-off based on ¨Rio Bravo¨ and ¨El Dorado¨ mold . After the Civil War, Union ex-Colonel Cord McNally (John Wayne ) searches for the traitor whose perfidy originated the defeat of his unit and the loss of a close friend (Edward Faulkner) . The Duke then out to settle some old scores . In addition to an ex-Confederate officer (Jorge Rivero ) and an ex-sergeant ( Chris Mitchum) with whom he forms an uneasy alliance . They go to a little town called Rio Lobo where rules an ominous marshal (Mike Henry) and a heinous baron land named Ketchan (Victor French) . But the Duke takes prisoner Ketchan and imprisons him into jail for being brought to justice . Then he takes on a blockade of gunfighters and the nasty sheriff is out to get his kill-crazy boss . Duke along with a shotgun-toting old loony (the scene-stealing Jack Elam) are besieged and only helped by the Mexican/French ex-captain and the hot-headed Sergeant Tuscarora .

Action western, snappy dialog , shoot-outs at regular intervals, and humor abounds in this magnificent film whose roles are splendidly portrayed . It packs larger-than-life characters, uproarious events and lively happenings. The Duke carries strong acting on his brawny shoulders and perfectly does. It's basically a lighthearted , upside B Western and being mainly lifted out by veteran Jack Elam 's wonderfully acting as a half-crazed sympathetic old man , whose finger itches demoniacally on the trigger every time he gets a nasty guy in his sights . And of course, top-drawer John Wayne , few stars could match his ability to dominate a scene . Delightful supporting cast formed by several youthful costars as Chris Mitchum , Robert's son who starred Rio Bravo ; a gorgeous Jennifer O'Neill , recent his hit in Summer of 42 ; Sherry Lansing's last movie as an actress who married William Fredkin and future Paramount studio head ; Susana Dosamontes who married a magnate and gave birth the singer Paulina Rubio . Glittering Technicolor cinematography by William H Clothier who adds much to the setting of this unique Western . Marvelous musical score by Jerry Goldsmith including emotive guitar playing . This overlong, too much-acclaimed and very gripping Western will appeal to John Wayne fans . Rating : Above average, essential and indispensable Western , a masterpiece horse opera whose reputation has improved over the years . The motion picture is well directed Howard Hawks supported by John Wayne , it's a nice Western made by these two giants . Hawks proved to be a Western expert as ¨Big sky¨, ¨The outlaw¨ and ¨Red River ¨.

Rating : Good and great fun , though over lengthy and displays a number of similarities to previous ¨Rio Bravo¨ , quintaessential Hawks Western at the peak of his powers , starred by Walter Brennan , Ricky Nelson , Angie Dickinson and ¨El Dorado¨ with James Caan , Edward Ashner and Arthur Hunnicut virtual retreat of the previous role played by Walter Brennan and again by Jack Elam in ¨Rio Lobo¨in this second reworking of Rio Bravo; and of course the great John Wayne who repeats in the excellent trilogy .

Fmovies: When Confederate raiders rob a shipment of gold and kill his friend, Union Colonel John Wayne vows to bring the traitors who sold the rebels the information to justice, leading to a post-war showdown with vicious carpetbagger Victor French. Helping Wayne is Jorge Rivero, the leader of the raiders!

Although Rio Lobo is not quite as legendary as other John Wayne/Howard Hawks collaborations and things aren't always up to snuff in the acting department, this is still a lot of rip-roaring fun.

This has a very amusing script co-written by Leigh Brackett and some incredible action sequences supervised by Wayne's old pal, the legendary Yakima Cannut.

There's great comedic guest roles for shotgun-toting, scene-stealing Jack Elam and David Huddleston as Rio Lobo's resident tooth-puller. Jennifer O'Neill looks great too!

Enjoy it for what it is. Some of you guys take your John Wayne movies WAY too seriously!

Seeing a John Wayne movie where Wayne himself is the most vital presence is normal for just about any film he was in. Seeing a John Wayne movie where he is the most accomplished and subtle actor on screen, the Olivier of the proceedings, is quite another, and just one of several reasons "Rio Lobo" sticks out in a bad way.

Wayne plays Union Col. Cord McNally, who after the end of the American Civil War is still after the traitors who sold information about U.S. Army gold shipments that led to the death of a beloved subordinate. McNally finds himself in the middle of a land grab involving two ex-Confederates who knew the traitors in question, and what's more, are now being oppressed by the same baddies in the Texas village of Rio Lobo. Former enemies join forces to see to the righting of a wrong.

Everything about this film is wrong from the start, from the opening titles where we see a guitar played totally out of sync with the tune on the soundtrack to a train robbery scene full of awkward exposition lines to alert us to the fact the train is carrying gold and is being waylaid by Confederates armed with grease and hornets. How Howard Hawks, director of some of Wayne's best films like "Rio Bravo" and "Red River" as well as some choice Hollywood classics, could have made this lame oater his swansong is a question almost existential in its bleakness.

Wayne's supporting actors make him seem Shakespearean by comparison. Future movie executive Sherry Lansing shows why she saved her best work for behind the camera as a vengeful senorita, while Jorge Rivero just seems hideously miscast as an Omar Sharif wanna-be playing the Confederate commander Col. McNally first clashes against, then joins sides with. Apparently he is one of those Confederate officers who talks like Desi Arnez or Fernando Lamas. Bracing for a train crash, he yells to his men: "You better find yourself a place with a good hold," but the way he says it makes you think he's in a New Orleans cathouse.

All this is by way of introducing Jennifer O'Neill's terrible turn as the lead female in this production, Shasta Delaney. To see her is to reconsider every supposed movie actor you have labeled "bad" in movies. A woman of rare beauty who leans on her looks all too much, O'Neill is always brushing her hair away from her face and sounding much like the high school homecoming queen drafted in a Shakespearean tragedy. Listening to her say simple lines like "Don't be nice to me" is grating in its banality, not to mention a dunning reminder of how competent Joanne Dru really was playing the lead hottie in the Hawks film "Red River" nearly 25 years before, when she actually managed to carry entire scenes with real dramatic purpose and charm. Its not that Hawks stopped using his casting couch, perchance, just that his standards had slipped so in the interim.

Ah, yes, then there's Wayne, stolid, boring, inert, yet the only thing that keeps us going from scene to scene. He can be so great in many different films; that's what makes him such a joy to follow, and though he's so dull in this one, it's not all his fault.

There's a moment, for example, near the beginning, when someone asks him about a comrade in danger, about how long McNally served with the fellow, and McNally replies: "Since the war began." The way Wayne says it, just the aching delivery in his voice, recalls a succession of battlefields, and you

Rio Lobo fmovies. OK, put down the film criticism texts and just watch this fun movie for what it is. Feels like a TV movie, but several cuts above one. The opening train robbery sequence is pretty damn breathtaking for a "bad" movie. Bet some action directors have studied that one. "Lobo" is collection of a lot of good Hawks-ian moments recycled, sort of like a retrospective of his bag of tricks ie. "Yer necks broken," etc. The Duke aging, beat up, but still The Duke. Sherry Lansing pretty hot looking in her one role. Jack Elam the scene stealer. Too bad they didn't have the money to cast the other parts better--Mitchum or Martin would have helped a lot. Duke looks a little lonely. Plot sorta strung together, but Hawks was concentrating more on characters in his Bravo/Dorado/Lobo "trilogy." "Smart" dialog, while not up to 30s & 40s banter, still has clever moments by today's standards. Clever rifle bit at the end shows old timers' practical knowledge of things, like weapons. If you like old westerns, you'll like this one. Not among his greatest, but low end Hawks is better than no Hawks. I've seen much thinner stuff win awards.

This has to be unique in the history of Hollywood. Leading director and screen legend Howard Hawks loved this film so much that they made three variations of the same movie. By the time Rio Lobo was made, the theme was getting a bit thin, but it's still grand entertainment.

The first part of the film is set during the Civil War with John Wayne pursuing Confederates who are stealing army payrolls. He does catch up with them and the Civil War ends. He befriends his erstwhile enemies and asks for their help in locating the informer who was giving them information.

That all sets the scene for the third variant of Rio Bravo/El Dorado theme. Playing the old codger part is Jack Elam who by now had quit being a screen menace and was doing comedy and doing it well. The two younger sidekicks are the former Confederate enemies, Jorge Rivero and Chris Mitchum.

Rio Lobo had the presence of two stars of the Mexican cinema, Jorge Rivero and Susana Dosamantes. Dosamantes played Mitchum's girlfriend and Jennifer O'Neill played the Angie Dickinson part although Wayne was now deciding he was too old for the romance. She pairs off with Rivero.

In a small bit part is Sherry Lansing who left acting soon after Rio Lobo and really hit the big time, going into the production end of the movie business and becoming head of first 20th Century Fox and later CEO of Paramount.

The two principal villains are Victor French who played the neighbor on Little House On The Prarie and Mike Henry who was one of several screen Tarzans.

It's a good John Wayne western and that takes in a whole lot of territory pilgrim.

After the Civil War, Cord McNally (John Wayne) searches for the traitor whose perfidy caused the defeat of McNally's unit, a shipment of gold to be stolen, and the loss of a close friend.

I loved the beginning with the train robbery. Every part of it was executed perfectly, and the first ten minutes or so are probably the highlight of the film. And then the idea that the yanks and rebels could be friends was questionable but nice... and the shift from the war and the heist to tracking down a traitor, great. But it seemed to have a good deal of turns and subplots that were not quite necessary.

The worst was Jennifer O'Neill, who played Shasta. I would gladly give this film another star if it was not for her. Every line was delivered so poorly. I guess Howard Hawks feared John Wayne was too old for the role... I thought Wayne was great. It was O'Neill that was the weak link. She just has no acting ability to speak of.

Also, a special nod to Jack Elam, who was the comic relief. His wit and delivery (almost) make up for O'Neill, and on that count I have revised my 6 stars in 2015 to 7 stars in 2016 upon a second viewing. This may not be the best known Hawks-Wayne collaboration, but it certainly has its strong points.