Rio Bravo [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of Rio Bravo [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: Classic John Wayne Western
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the Duke's best. There is nothing better than watching this classic on Blu-ray. Amazing how much detail you notice.Movie Review: Blu-Ray Reviews Please
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazon, are you going to post my review?
Will you place post Blu-Ray DVD Reviews only and not Standard DVD Reviews!
Movie Review: Review of the Blu-ray version
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't yet own a lot of Blu-ray movies, but of the dozen or so I've watched, this is easily the worst. The transfer seems very grainy and there was literally nothing in the image that seemed to me to be in any way an improvement on the DVD version. So, if you already have the DVD version, I would see little point in buying this one.
With respect to the movie itself, like most other reviewers, I find this to be one of John Wayne's best films. I would not, however, put it up there with the truly classic westerns because of the presence of Ricky Nelson. In the latter part of Wayne's career, he apparently liked to include a young star in the film, presumably to appeal to younger filmgoers who might not have been attracted to an aging Duke. I assume that this was a good box office strategy, and sometimes, as with Glenn Campbell's more than serviceable performance in "True Grit," it didn't significantly damage the movie. But not here. Ricky Nelson is unbelievably bad. Literally, the worst actor to ever appear in a major movie. (He also managed to nearly capsize the otherwise excellent Jack Lemon film "The Wackiest Ship in the Army.") It's not difficult to see why his film career came to an early end. The problem with having a truly awful actor in a movie is that it makes it difficult to suspend disbelief. You always end up being distracted by thoughts like, "Did Howard Hawks really believe he could coach a decent performance out of this stiff?" There is a sharp contrast between Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin, who came to fame, of course, as a singer and straight man for Jerry Lewis. In this movie, Martin shows that he was an excellent actor.
If I'm allowed one more carp: I think it would have been better to have cast a somewhat older actress in the Angie Dickinson part. The age gap between Angie and the Duke makes their romance less plausible than it would have been with a more mature actress in the part.
The strength of the performances by Wayne, Martin, and Walter Brennan, and the brilliance of the script are enough to overcome these problems, though, and make this an enjoyable film. One that is, of course, indispensable for John Wayne fans.
Movie Review: Great movie, but not so great Blu-Ray
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie Rio Bravo is one of the all time greats in my opinion, but I am specifically reviewing the Blu-Ray version of the movie here.
This Howard Hawks Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin is one of the all time best western movies. Make no mistake, if I were to be rating the movie alone, it would receive 5 stars. It is the strength of this movie that gets 4 stars for this review, but I could not award 5 stars for this Blu-Ray version since that is presumably the reason a person would be reading this review. That is, they are considering spending the few extra dollars to purchase this Blu-Ray version.
In a nutshell, I would stick with this Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition) version of Rio Bravo if I had it to do all over again. It just seems that the transfer for this Blu-Ray version is not all that crisp. It does not really seem an improvement upon the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD that is close to half the price. This is not to say that the transfer is awful. It just seems that the picture and audio are about as good as it's going to get with the DVD version. That is, short of a complete rework of the master for transfer.
Now back to the movie. Anyone who loves westerns and/or John Wayne would likely appreciate having the movie Rio Bravo in their collection. I think Dean Martin's performance is exceptional. He shows a depth of character in this role. Dean Martin shows that he was more than just a singer who was doing some acting. It appears to me that he had much talent. John Wayne does his typical excellent performance. There is more to this movie than would meet the novice eye. The opening scene provides an ode to the silent era where Dean Martin demonstrates his talent. Also as a background, this movie was a response of sorts by Howard Hawks and John Wayne to the communist movement in Hollywood of that era. For students of history and this genre, there are some rather interesting historical dynamics and background to this excellent and entertaining film.
Movie Review: Blu Ray Version Is Good, When It Could Have Been...
Summary: 4 Stars
***THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE BLU-RAY VERSION of "RIO BRAVO"***
Apart from the fact that Ricky Nelson couldn't act to save his life (he plays the fast gun Colorado), the big revelation in Howard Hawks' High Noon rerun is Dean Martin who is just superb as the drink-obsessed Dutch - sidekick to sheriff John Wayne and his trusty buddy Walter Brennnan.
The Blu Ray version is disappointing print wise for the opening credits - there's blocking, speckles on the print etc, but thankfully it doesn't stay that way for long. Although there are other weak points in the transfer later on in the movie, for about 90 % of the time I'd say it looks really good - not great - but certainly better than any other version of it that I've ever seen.
There's a nighttime sequence where one of the bad guys hiding out in a barn near the prison tries to shoot John Wayne - it cuts to Dutch outside worried about his friend inside - the clarity of sweat and dirt on Dean Martin is wonderful to see - and startling. When Angie Dickenson is stopped by John Wayne at her bedroom door suspected of card shark tricks in the saloon she's just left below, her face and clothing look sensational too (what a beauiful woman she was). But then in other places there's a disappointing feeling of the focus being slightly off or the print's vibrancy being washed out.
It might just be that in 1959 the colour process was not quite there yet, but you can't help but feel that if this negative had been given real care and effort - the print would have been a genuine joy to look at - rather than being something that just ellicits the word 'good' out of you every now and then.
"Rio Bravo" is a very good transfer to Blu Ray, but like so many oldies that aren't treated to proper restoration, you can't help but feel that an opportunity was missed here - because it's a Western that's stood the test of time.