"Really? I thought he was going to kick Death's ass one more time."
-Richard Pryor, upon learning of John Wayne's death.
"Don't set yourself up as special- you think you invented the hangover."
-Sheriff Chance (John Wayne)
Public Enemy, notwithstanding, John Wayne is not easy to dismiss. Wayne was a towering figure in Hollywood and audiences loved him for decades. Wayne was big- not just in stature, but in what he represented for a lot of people. He was no mere movie star- Wayne seemed to embody some version of a mythic America. Wayne's contradictions, on-screen and off, mirrored those of his country. Hell, you could say he *was* America in his day and not be absolutely wrong.
That's a lot of baggage to unpack on a Saturday afternoon in front of the TV. In regards to Wayne, I have tended to stay on the John Ford side of town, so I have only just now got around to Rio Bravo. At the helm for this was Howard Hawks, perhaps the most versatile director in Hollywood history. Westerns were only a small part of a career that saw him expertly try his hand at making gangster movies, film noir, war flicks, screwball comedies, musicals and even science fiction.
My expectations were thus pretty high for this film. Wayne plays a brave Texas Sheriff, John T. Chance, who is battling against outlaws who threaten the town. This is a common scenario in Westerns and Wayne is playing his most archetypical character. Yet, it works because the film goes beyond the clichés and even the action scenes to focus on the characters.
The heart of the film is the relationship between Sheriff Chance and his former deputy, Dude. Played with a sweaty intensity by Dean Martin, Dude fell for the wrong girl and fell on hard times. Dude is the town drunk, the Borrachón. As Rio Bravo opens he is reduced to retrieving a silver dollar contemptuously flung into a spittoon by the execrable Joe Burdette (played by the shockingly young looking Claude Akins). The brawl that ensues leads to Burdette's arrest for murder and a chance for redemption for Dude as Chance's deputy.
Chance will need all the help he can get since his arrest of Burdette has put him in the cross-hairs of a powerful enemy, Nathan Burdette. Nathan, Joe's brother, is the local cattle baron who hires a series of outlaws to try and break his brother out of jail by any means necessary. He is the real power there. Upon being rebuffed by Chance, Nathan employs some local musicians to play El Degüello, the "No Quarter" dirge played by the Mexican Army outside of the seige of the Alamo, really, really loudly over and over outside of the jail. The man knows how to send a message.
The Sheriff is left to try and hold out for the arrival of the U.S. Marshall with only Dude (the town drunk!) and Stumpy (an incomprehensible ageing cripple!) to help him. (Stumpy, played by the great Walter Brennan, is comic relief that is actually funny). The odds are not looking good. When Chance's old friend, Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), is murdered in the street on his way out of town, the prospects look even worse.
In the middle of this, a mysterious woman nicknamed Feathers arrives. Angie Dickinson plays this character who likes gambling, has a shady past and takes a liking to Sheriff Chance. She comes on strong to him. Chance gives her the cold shoulder for much of the film, but their relationship develops as the danger grows closer. Every time the Sheriff tries to send her away, she comes back.
I guess what surprised me the most about Rio Bravo was how it focused on these relationships, old and new. Chance shows a kind of gentleness and patience with Dude and his struggles that is unexpected. Similarly, Chance and Wheeler's friendship seems genuine and nuanced. There is also real (and probably in real life) affection between the Sheriff and Stumpy. Even the May-December (well, maybe June-October) relationship between Chance and Feathers makes sense in this film.
I think this was all possible because the pace of the film is so unhurried. Hawks does nothing indulgent here, but the film unfolds without the modern tendency to amp up the action at regular intervals. If anything, the showdown at the end of the film was de-emphasized. Still, every shot was composed beautifully (and there were hardly *any* close-ups). All movement and editing was seamless and on-point. Check out the framing for the final showdown scene. It's excellent.
The acting is another highlight of Rio Bravo. For me, Dean Martin was the real revelation here. For a guy who is often thought of as one of America's last loveable drunks, there is a real darkness here. The desperation and pain in his eyes felt like they were drawing on something from the inside. Martin's portrayal of Dude reminded me of one of Frank Sinatra's best performances. Maybe the Rat Pack were about more than constant fun and Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Maybe not.
As for the star of Rio Bravo, Wayne performs skilfully. John Wayne, the man, is so closely tied to his characters that his acting is underrated. Again, you don't associate nuance and John Wayne, but it is undeniable in this role. He was also much more vulnerable here than I expected. Sheriff Chance was very often *not* in control, yet he came through in the end.
John Wayne, the actor, really was larger than life, though. There is a magnetism that supersedes acting chops. I can never take my eyes off him and you especially can't do that here. His performance in Rio Bravo reminded me why so many people loved him, contradictions and all. This is an excellent film.
Final note: I would be remiss if I did not note Ricky Nelson's performance as Colorado, the baby faced gun-slinger and guitar player (there sure were a lot of those guys in the fifties). The film finds time for another, more pleasant musical interlude so Ricky can show off a little. Dig the classic Dino croon, too. Nice job fellas! See the clip below for evidence of the incredible acoustics of the jails of the Old West:
