It's kind of funny watching Rio Bravo after seeing High Noon because you can see the not so subtle attacks on the earlier film. While both films have the same basic story line, they have markedly different philosophies producing two different yet equally compelling films.
High Noon tells the story of a single sheriff who must fight the bad guys on his own. He tries to enlist the help of his fellow townsmen but no one steps up so he is one man versus the world. At the time some people interpreted it as standing up to the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and McCarthyism. John Wayne, ever the patriot and active supporter of blacklisting, went as far as to call the film "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life." He would team up with director Howard Hawks to make Rio Bravo partly in response. In this film, not only does John Wayne and his ragtag group of deputies face off against the bad guys on their own, he actually rejects the idea of getting more people to help.
Pat Wheeler: What about my drivers? you could use them.
John T. Chance: Supposing I got 'em. What'd I have? Some well-meaning amateurs, most of 'em worried about their wives and kids... No, Pat. I'd just be giving them more targets to shoot at. A lot of people'd get hurt. Joe Burdette isn't worth it. He isn't worth one of them that'd get killed.
Knowing the history of the two films, it is hard to think of this scene as anything but direct criticism to Will Kane's plea for help in High Noon.
Of course Rio Bravo stands tall as its own film. It is regarded as one of the great westerns (along with High Noon) not for any message or social commentary it may contain, but for being a great film, period. It is a movie filled with heroism, action, humor, and romance. It has memorable characters and strong performances from its stars. In short, it has a little bit of everything.
In the film, Sheriff John T. Chance arrests Joe Burdette for killing a man. Burdette is the younger brother of powerful Nathan Burdette, who wants his brother free. It is up to Chance and his men to hold Joe in jail until the US marshals arrive or until Nathan's men break him loose, whichever comes first.
The star of the film is of course John Wayne who struts his trademark machismo. To be honest, I'm not the biggest John Wayne fan. I've always felt like he looked a little stiff on screen and the way he talked seemed so unnatural. That isn't to say I think he sucks or anything, just that I think his image and persona exceeded his reputation as an actor. That being said, I think he's fine in this movie and displays a surprising amount of charm particularly in his scenes with Angie Dickinson.
The best performance of the film belongs to Dean Martin who plays Dude, the town drunk and the sheriff's deputy. His character is the most well developed and shows the most dimensions. In the film he goes through stages of self-doubt, self-pity, redemption and heroism. I thought Martin was great in this role and showed great range.
One thing I did not expect from Rio Bravo was how funny it is. It's not billed as a comedy by any means, but it knows how to space out its story with humorous bits. The two characters Stumpy and Carlos are there seemingly just for comic relief. Stumpy's crazy accent was a little tiring after a while though. There are also a bunch of scenes where characters just shoot the shit with casual banter. Some people might find these scenes unnecessary since they don't really advance the plot but I love them as long as they are interesting and/or funny. It also goes a long way in building up the characters. By listening in on these conversations, it kind of feels like we're hanging out with them and thus they become more relatable.
Rio Bravo clocks in at almost two and a half hours but doesn't really feel that long because the story moves along briskly. It has a good story with interesting characters and just the right amount of action and comedy to fill in the gaps. I still prefer High Noon, though you can't really go wrong either way.
Grade: B+
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