Rio Lobo (1970)

The final film by the legendary director Howard Hawks, released in 1970, found him paired with longtime leading man John Wayne in a story slightly similar to their more familiar Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Set at the end of the Civil War, the story finds Wayne playing a Union army colonel who recovers some stolen gold and roots out a traitor. Though a little creaky (Hawks had been making films since 1926), Rio Lobo nevertheless has his trademark, crackling dialogue, appealing characters, and ensemble spirit among the cast. This was a worthy finish to a fantastic career by a first-rank filmmaker. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Three stars: one for the film and two for John Wayne

I notice that negative reviews for Rio Lobo get a lot of unhelpful votes. Probably from die-hard John Wayne fans. Well, I'm a John Wayne fan and I thought this was a mediocre film. Except for Wayne, the acting is almost comical, especially from the three women in the cast. Wayne had already received his Best Actor Oscar, but Howard Hawks didn't need to surround him with novice actors to prove he deserved it. (I say novice instead of bad because several cast members learned their craft and went on to build respectable careers.) Jack Elam appears to be about the only one who deserves to share the screen with Wayne.

Another irritant: Rio Lobo is like two movies. The first part takes place during the civil war and has some great action sequences and is highly entertaining. The second part makes you wince at the dialogue, character development, and plot.

Rio Lobo proves that John Wayne can't carry a movie all by himself. He still needs a good script and experienced actors.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper March 16, 2008

A later Waynestern with some well done confrontations

A pretty good Waynestern from 1970. While Wayne was ill during the filming of this movie, he hides it pretty well. His Col. Cord McNally is the hero of the movie, but not its romantic lead. The running joke is his being "comfortable" for the women in the movie. The romantic lead goes to Jorge Rivero as Capt. Pierre Cordona (Wayne calls him Frenchy). Jennifer O'Neill is the female lead and is OK, but delivers her lines a bit awkwardly. For my money Susana Dosamentes as Maria Carmen and Sherry Lansing (yes, the later head of 20th Century Fox) as Amelita are more convincing. Be that as it may, it is a good story and a very enjoyable film.

The story opens with Wayne and his Union troops waiting for a gold shipment. However, some Confederate Raiders know about the shipment and have a rather elaborate scheme to steal to gold as they have in previous shipments. Wayne pursues the Raiders, is captured and gets to know Cordona and Tuscadora Phillips (Christopher Mitchum). Wayne finds a way to turn the tables and after the war is over he meets up with Cordona and Tuscadora again to find out who the traitor was that tipped them off about the gold shipments. They give him what they know and Wayne helps them with some resources to get home.

Later, Cordona and McNally meet with Shasta Delany (O'Neill) when she involves them in a shootout as she is trying to escape from some obviously crooked lawmen. It turns out that she is from the border town where Tuscador lives and it is being run by a very bad man named Ketcham (Victor French). McNally, Cordona, and Shasta head to Rio Lobo to help their Tuscadora. Along the way they also meet Tuscadora's father (played wonderfully by Jack Elam) and a great confrontation is set up that takes the rest of the film. Quite a good Western, I think (my son calls them Waynesterns).

Watch for the Wanted poster for Hondo Lane when the action turns around the Sheriff's Office.

Recommended!

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
January 19, 2008

Rio Lobo

Another awesome West with John Wayne.

Really wish the "DUKE" was still alive making movies and kicking some those little pretty boys in Hollyweird like Tom Cruise's backsides. November 27, 2007

A Great Train Robbery; Good-Shooter Women, etc.

The first part of this western is relatively unique; the second part is commonplace in John Wayne movies. The latter contains such themes as shootouts between posses of good and bad guys, a trade of kidnapped men (the bad guys' boss for Frenchie), and heavy drinking. In fact, McNally (Wayne) has this comment about a drink: "Boy, this stuff ain't for the young!"

The train robbery is creatively portrayed. A group of Confederate guerillas, evidently tipped off about a transport of gold, tap-in into a telegraph wire, and thereby correctly infer which train is going to carry the gold. Then they set up a trap: They grease a section of railway so that the targeted train will stall for lack of traction. Once this happens, they come out of hiding and ambush the train. They throw a bag of bees into a train compartment in order to put the men inside out of action and to force them to jump out of the train. Finally, they detach the gold-bearing wagon from the rest of the train, and steer it to a prearranged place where it can be ground to a halt and stripped of its gold-bearing chest.

Those who feel that westerns ignore women or always place them in passive roles will like this film. There are two women who are good with guns, and who put them to use when the men won't do their jobs to secure justice for them. One of the men gives a form of respect to one of these women: "She's got legs and she can shoot!"
August 14, 2007

RIO LOBO

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Another John Wayne Western, Oh Boy. Boy was I wrong! This was very entertaining and pleasant to watch. No wonder John Wayne is the legend he is. With all the technology and huge budgets in Hollywood today, and a movie like this is watched and thoroughly enjoyed decades after it was made. That should say it all.
August 13, 2007

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