Rio Bravo (1958)

A decade after Red River (1947), Howard Hawks reteamed with John Wayne for this rambling western riffing on the director’s usual themes of friendship and professionalism.

Disgusted by Gary Cooper throwing down his sheriff’s badge at the end of High Noon (1952) – after the community has failed to help him in his hour of need – Howard Hawks determined to make a riposte. Here Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) turns down offers of assistance when the dastardly Burdette family rides into town to free one of their kin from the jailhouse.

In Hawks’ world, facing up to responsibility is key, and Chance depends only on his deputies, the boozy Dude (Dean Martin) and decrepit Stumpy (Walter Brennan). An hour longer than High Noon, the result is a leisurely meditation on ageing and companionship that finds time for romance with saloon girl Feathers (Angie Dickinson) and a jailhouse singsong with young gun Ricky Nelson.

1958 USA
Directed by
Howard Hawks
Produced by
Howard Hawks
Written by
Jules Furthman, Leigh Brackett
Featuring
John Wayne, Dean Martin, Rick Nelson
Running time
141 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for Rio Bravo

Critics

Inácio Araújo
Brazil
Álvaro Arroba
Spain
Eddie Averill
USA
Fabien Baumann
France
Jake Cole
USA
Miguel Dias
Portugal
Jamie Dunn
UK
Antoine Guillot
France
Eckhard Haschen
Germany
Peter Hourigan
Australia
Dave Kehr
USA
Jeff Lambert
USA
Eric Le Roy
France
Alberto Lechuga
Spain
Isaac León-Frías
Peru
Carlos Losilla
Spain
Eva Markovits
France
Linda Marric
UK
Gerhard Midding
Germany
Jacob Milligan
UK
Camille Nevers
France
Raphaël Nieuwjaer
France
Tommi Partanen
Finland
Vincent Poli
France
Carlos Reviriego
Spain
Dan Sallitt
USA
R. Emmet Sweeney
USA
Andreas Thein
Germany
Éric Vernay
France
Nuria Vidal
Spain

Directors

John Carpenter
USA
Stephen Cone
USA
José Luis Garci
Spain
Rudolf Thome
Germany

Articles related to Rio Bravo

Load more

Rent new and acclaimed films, including those in cinemas now

Features from as little as £2.50, become a BFI Member to get a discount.

Explore rentals on BFI Player