Rio Lobo
Rio Lobo
G | 18 December 1970 (USA)
Rio Lobo Trailers

After the Civil War, a former Union colonel searches for the two traitors whose perfidy led to the loss of a close friend.

Reviews
Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See
Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Leofwine_draca The third and final film in Howard Hawks's famous trilogy of westerns starring John Wayne; the first was RIO BRAVO and the second EL DORADO. This late-stage entry in the genre is far better than I was expecting, a bright and colourful western with an interesting cast and an ageing star who still has the power to kick backside with the best of them.The opening of RIO LOBO is particularly astute, featuring a heist on a train carrying a gold shipment which is very well directed and exciting. Wayne plays the usual stock hero and wrings maximum presence out of his part, only this time around he's supported by a mixture of old hands (Jack Elam) and new faces (Mexican star Jorge Rivero and Christopher Mitchum).The narrative slows down after the first section which is understandable given the passage of time. However, it soon picks up in scenes which are very reminiscent of RIO BRAVO, and keeps bubbling along pretty well until the action climax. I did find the villains to be rather weak in this film but the heroes are so larger than life that it doesn't really matter. Jennifer O'Neill's female lead is an irritant rather than an asset but she's not bad enough to spoil what is an overall fun picture.
classicsoncall For all those critics who believe John Wayne can't act, the movie legend entertains a line of dialog that's written at his own expense. When the dentist, Dr. Ivor Jones (David Huddleston) purposely causes Cord McNally (Wayne) to yell out in pain using one of his instruments, Jones says to him - "Well if you'd been a good enough actor, I wouldn't have used it!" To his credit, Wayne actually looked stunned when he heard that.Well, like a handful of other Western fans here, I was pretty sure I saw this picture before when it was called "Rio Bravo" and "El Dorado". No drunken sheriff this time around though, so you had to deal with Tarzan actor Mike Henry as the bad guy lawman under the thumb of Rio Lobo town boss Ketcham. I guess I've seen Victor French in too many episodes of 'Highway to Heaven' to picture him as an outlaw, but he did look leaner and meaner here.The head scratcher for me in the picture was the presence of Mexican actor Jorge Rivero; maybe the idea here was to give him a push in American films but I had to wonder why they couldn't have come up with a more recognizable name to complement Wayne in the picture. Rivero, along with the rest of the 'younger' cast didn't really help the story once the movie got under way. Ricky Nelson could at least sing when there was a lull in the action.But the train hijacking was a pretty clever affair, not ever having seen the old greased tracks/bag o' hornets trick before. The other interesting point for me was Colonel McNally's sense of justice in seeking out the Yankee traitor. For him, battling it out with Cordona (Rivero) and Tuscarora (Christopher Mitchum) fell under principles of warfare, but Ketcham's role in supplying information to the Rebs was an act of treason. You know the Duke couldn't stand for that.
Karl Ericsson Yeah, who cares if it's all the same? This isn't a movie, it's a good time and it feels. Not so much as in Rio Bravo or, even better, El Dorado but still, it's there and the heist in the beginning is rather well carried through, in spite of all the nonsense.Just the stubbornness of doing the same film for the third time with almost the same locations is so downright disrespectful that it deserves extra praise just that. Who does he think that he is, Howard Hawks? He doesn't care and cares even less than a flying fart what you think of him. Well if that isn't charming, what is? What I'm really saying with this review is that Howard Hawks shows us how little a story really means and how many different things can be said without changing the story.
Blueghost Maybe it's because I'm in an exceptionally foul mood today, but after I bought this DVD, and saw the first half hour, I was reminded of why I didn't like this film the first time I saw it.Pic starts off strong with some convincing and innovative action, that itself is quite spectacular, but the supporting cast and sexual tension amongst thereof is a yawner, and will anger the most ardent Wayne fans. Me included.Model's turned actresses deserve a shot at acting just like anyone else; through auditions. How these pretty faces got past reciting their sides for Hawks is no mystery. They're attractive. Wayne fans are split and/or at odds with his pro-Vietnam war flick "The Green Barets", so Wayne goes back to doing Westerns, and Hawks probably obliged with Wayne's faltering rep by casting a couple of honeys for the film.Note that no other big names were in this film. No surprise. We're left with a bunch of flat toned supporting cast (save maybe Ed Asner), and unbelievable gunfight scenes (even for a John Wayne western).The only redeeming quality of this film, other than Wayne himself, is the fact that it was respectably shot. Not well shot, but passable for a pro-grade feature.Me, personally I think this film is a bust. There should have been more action at the end in the tradition of "War Wagon" or maybe even the calming tones of "El Dorado". "True Grit" had a pretty spectacular finish too, as did its sequel. But this film?I don't know. Maybe they figured the genre was wearing thin for a lot of people. The Western was transforming with the nation back then. I know, I was there and remember it. But to create something like this with women who can't act? And an unsympathetic Duke who isn't outraged when a woman gets cut or beaten? Huh?Like I said, maybe I'm just sore and angry with a lot of other things in my life, but this film brought back all the memories of why I quit watching John Wayne films (not that he did a whole lot after this flick).I salute the Duke, and always will, but not this movie. It's more TV movie of the week material than a solid theatrical release.Watch at your own risk.