Rio Lobo
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Movie Reviews of Rio Lobo
Movie Review: big john
Summary: 3 Stars
bought this for my mom she is a big john wayne fan she loved it.Movie Review: The worst of the Wayne Hawks films
Summary: 2 Stars
"Rio Lobo" (1970) is the last and least of the John Wayne/ Howard Hawks collaborations that began with "Red River" (1948) and included "Rio Bravo" (1959) and "El Dorado" (1967).
There are three problems with "Rio Lobo" - the script is poor, the supporting cast is not up to the task, and the Duke himself appears bloated, unsteady on his feet, and disinterested.
John Wayne was still a bankable box office draw at the time, having appeared in such western hits as "Stagecoach" (1939), "Fort Apache" (1948), "Red River" (1948), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949), "The Searchers" (1956), "Rio Bravo" (1959), "The Alamo" (1960), "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), and "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965),and he finally earned an Oscar for "True Grit" (1969).
Wayne was recovering from lung surgery to remove cancer, yet appeared in 2 films in 1969 and 2 in 1970, including one that he produced ("Chisum"). He shows more than a little wear as a result.
But there isn't any excuse for the rest of the cast, who perform poorly. Wayne normally surrounded himself with a small group of players on whom he could rely. Apart from Hank Worden (he played ol' Mose in "The Searchers") who has a very minor part, the rest of the cast are not part of that group, and it shows.
This was Jennifer O'Neill's third film and it shows. It was also Chris Mitchum's third film and it's also painfully obvious. Wayne's co-star is relatively unknown Jorge Rosas who was primarily active in the Mexican and European markets. This was his third English speaking film. Even the venerable Jack Elam seems to be off kilter. Elam (1918-2003) was a staple in western films, usually appearing as a villain. He made substantial contributions to films such as "Vera Cruz" (1954), "Gunfight at the OK Corral" (1957), and "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968). I remember him best as Alamosa Bill from "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" (1973).
BTW - former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing has a small part as a friend of Mitchum. This was her second and final film appearance.
With a poor script, inexperienced actors, and a clearly wounded Wayne, there wasn't much hope for this film and it shows. For Howard Hawks (1896-1977), a great director, this would be his final film. Hawks was nominated 3 times for a DGA award for "Red River" (1948), "The Big Sky" (1952) and "Rio Bravo" (1959). He was Oscar nominated for "Sergeant York" (1941).
The film is not without some positive scenes. The train robbery, for example, is a real gem and the location photography is good. William Clothier (1903-96), the cinematographer, was twice nominated for an Oscar ("Cheyene Autumn" and "The Alamo") and worked with John Wayne on more than 20 films, including "Fort Apache" (1948), "The Sea Chase" (1955), "The Horse Soldiers" (1959), and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962).
But anyone interested in seeing a good John Wayne film should avoid it, and the great skills of Howard Hawks are not on display in this one. Their previous 3 films together are much better, and "Red River" is one of the best westerns of all time.
Movie Review: He shoulda stood in bed
Summary: 2 Stars
I bow to no one in my ardor as a John Wayne fan -- but I think Rio Lobo was phoned in. There are holes in the plot big enough to drive an aircraft carrier through; parts of the film drag on -- it should've been cut by at least 15 minutes; whoever played the bad guy sheriff was badly miscast. If Hawks was going to do a remake of previous John Wayne films, he could've done it a lot better.
The young actors were interesting; I found myself wondering whatever had happened to Jorge Rivero (in the James Caan/Ricky Nelson role as "Frenchy"); he was good-looking enough and athletic enough to hold the viewer's interest when he was on-screen. I read that he was an earlier matinee idol in Spanish-language films. Too bad for English-speaking viewers that he couldn't have appeared in more English-language films.
The movie started off interestingly enough, and the photography was good, but once it reached the point where the Civil War was over, it went steadily downhill.
As a John Wayne fan, I was very disappointed in this one.
Movie Review: Not the best Wayne movie
Summary: 2 Stars
This is about the poorest directed movie John Wayne ever acted in. There are long moments without any background music, or background noise, which makes the actors seems like the are acting in a movie set, not performing real life like. During serious events in the movie, one or two of the characters will be laughing. We felt like the movie was just an avenue for the good looking women in the movie to be introduced to movie goers. Over all, this is not a very entertaining movie. It is nothing like Rio Bravo, or El Dorado. Nothing like them. I will not watch this movie a second time, and would not recommend it.