Dartherer I really don't get the hype.

Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Richie-67-485852 Westerns capture a time when the United States was undeveloped and not so disciplined allowing people to really live off the land and display their talents skills as well as their character. That's why you get such a good mix of people like good guys, bad guys, Indians, Gunslingers, lawmen, pioneers, cattle rustlers, settlers, bandits, saloon keepers and general store operators. Cattle was a much needed source of food to the new Cities and Towns just springing up as well as for the folks back east. Who doesn't like a fine piece of steak with the trimmings? Well cattle drives were no easy cakes of walk but very lucrative if you could pull it off. History is presented here in entertainment form. Add whiskey, fights, shootings, Western towns, dust, beans, coffee and down to earth living and you got the makings of a good flick. Further add some top notch actors and we have a classic on our hands. This be that movie and more. Lots of memorable scenes, emotions tugging and real life situations decided in the moment they appear, this movie keeps you entertained start to finish as it is also of epic quality too. If all this is not enough, you get tension, drama and a nice show-down with a good closure in the end. Everyone gave it their best including the Director. Mark this as a....

guisreis This great film is an archetypical Western. Trust depends on a peculiar game of bravery and intimidation. Taking risks is always part of this game of men and cattle. Fear and punishment are the law. Men cannot accept they are wrong, as imposing themselves is essential for keeping authority. Authority is perceived as necessary in a place where the strong gets what he wants and the weak is killed if he does not accept to obey. John Wayne has one of his best roles: an authoritarian and stubborn cowboy and gunman. There are quite nice characters, besides Wayne's Tom Dunson, each one representing one archetype: Monty Clift is the good and handsome gunman Matt Garth, Walter Brennan is the funny elder Groot, and John Ireland is the arrogant and dangerous Cherry Balance. The movie is also very well filmed, with quite impressive cattle footage. In my opinion, this is one of the best Westerns made in the United States in the classic times of this genre, before the 60's and its many reinventions: perhaps only High Noon and Ox-bow Incident are better.

Hot 888 Mama . . . explains how RED RIVER director Howard Hawks tried to coach "Tess" actress Joanne Dru to pull off a Lauren Bacall impression during the John Wane-Montgomery Clift Western simply because Hawks had directed Bacall opposite Humphrey Bogart a few months earlier in THE BIG SLEEP. Apparently, Hawks thought of actors as interchangeable widgets (being akin to their cattle co-stars of RED RIVER), a viewpoint he shared with director Alfred Hitchcock. Sadly, Hawks was not Hitchcock, Dru couldn't lift Bacall's jockstrap, and RED RIVER ranch mobster Wayne wouldn't have lasted five minutes in a Bogart gang. Only Trump voters would try to shoehorn RED RIVER between THE MALTESE FALCON and CASABLANCA on a list of Classic American flicks. Maybe there's an Alternate Universe in which Ms. Dru would NOT stick out like a sore thumb if positioned between Mary Astor and Ingrid Bergman, but I'm mighty glad I don't live there. TENSIONS AND TRADITIONS: MOLLY HASKELL ON RED RIVER is a catch-all sort of title, but there's no danger of anyone catching a whiff of Critical Thinking here.

texasrehab1 What a wonderful movie . Once again John Wayne , Joanne Dru , and Montgomery Clift were phenomenal. While watching this movie , my thoughts were " Nobody should come to the movies unless you believe in heroes " and " if everything is not black and white why the heck not". Obviously, we all know these are John Wayne Quotes. The 1000 mile Journey was a challenge and despite the fact they had lots of challenges they completed there task. You would be shocked how beautiful the cows were , even in black and white . Cows have a special place in American culture and history . The cows helped settle this country and to no surprise they still have huge impact on us all I strongly suggest to see this movie and enjoy history unfold