This 1970 John Wayne Western was the conclusion of a trilogy and one of his most underrated films

Rio Lobo marked the end of an unofficial John Wayne trilogy and is considered one of his most underrated western. John Wayne acted in 80 westerns during his long career and played the leading role in them until his last film. The Shooter. The 1970s were a dark time for the genre, because apart from Wayne or Clint Eastwood, the popularity of the Western was on a downward trend. in terms of box office. Many of Wayne’s final efforts in the genre also failed to match the quality of his earlier work.

People like Cahill, US Marshal and Wayne’s only sequel Hahn Cogburn were, however, weak efforts The Shooter was a great way to end his career. Franchises may dominate studio film production today, but for the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, “sequel” used to be an offensive term. That might explain why Wayne has only one true sequel to his name. the unofficial Rio Bravo In the trilogy, star and director Howard Hawks used the same basic story and characters three times.

What John Wayne’s “Rio Lobo” is about

This 1970 western is essentially Rio Bravo 3

According to Roger Ebert’s review of Rio Lobo (above RogerEbert.com), when Hawks offered to send his leading actor the script of the film, Wayne joked:Why bother? I’ve already made the film twice.” This may be an ironic comment, but it is not inaccurate. Rio Lobo Wayne plays a Union cavalry officer named McNally who hunts down the traitors who helped the Confederates in a train robbery. This trail leads to the titular lawless town, where McNally and his allies (including Jack Elam’s Phillips) enact justice.

As for plotting, Rio Lobo does nothing new or innovative. The film is a greatest hits package for Wayne and Hawksalthough the film makes concessions to the age of its leading man. He no longer courts the female lead, and the more physical action is left to his younger co-star Jorge Rivero. Nevertheless, it is very The Star, with McNally driving the story forward as he hunts down the traitors and forms a ragtag team of allies around him – not unlike how things played out in Rio Bravo.

How “Rio Lobo” ended a western trilogy by John Wayne

Rio Lobo was in many ways the end of an era

Rio Bravo

Rio Bravo is a 1959 western film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. In the 1959 film, Wayne plays a local sheriff who must hold a local criminal in jail until a U.S. Marshall arrives to pick him up.

director

Howard Hawks

Release date

April 4, 1959

Sales Partner

Warner Bros

Pour

John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan

Duration

141 minutes

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Someone who is not a fan of this particular John Wayne Western is Quentin Tarantino. In fact, Tarantino quoted films like Rio Lobo as a reason for his resignation, as this was a prime example of a great director staying in office for too long and loses his sense of purpose. He is not entirely wrong, as the film is one of Hawks’ weakest films and lacks real urgency. Nevertheless, this is the reason why some genre fans Rio Lobo these days; just like Rio Bravo And El Doradoit’s a fun movie to hang out with.

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The 1970 adventure features the expected shootouts and chases, but much of the plot revolves around Wayne getting to know his new friends. The Rio Bravo Trilogy focused on the same themes and characters; McNally is essentially the same guy as Rio Bravo John T. Chance or El Dorado Cole Thornton, while his character recurs in the film as a mentor to a cocky young gunslinger. Elam steals the show as Phillips, who is very much in the style of Walter Brennan’s Stumpy.

All three films involve a prison siege and, at the end, a shootout between Wayne’s gang and the evil rich villain and his henchmen. Rio Bravo Trilogy is actually a series of remakes, each offering subtle remixes of the same ingredients. Unfortunately Rio Lobo marked the end of Hawks’ career as a director, as the film grossed less than the six million dollars its budget envisaged at the box office.

Why “Rio Lobo” is one of John Wayne’s most underrated westerns

Rio Lobo lets Wayne do his thing

Rio Lobos The reputation is not that great. Rio Bravo is called a classic, while El Dorado is the sophisticated, faster remake, The consensus on the Hawks’ latest offer is that it is a tough fightWayne was deemed too old for the lead role, while Jorge Rivero’s charisma is inferior to that of co-stars Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum. All of these criticisms are valid, but in the film’s defense, it’s still an entertaining film if you have the right attitude.

The film is too relaxed for its own good, but those who participate with Rio Lobos conscious pace will be fun. Like its predecessors, it is best viewed as a hangout western, as much about the mood and characters as the gunfights. As Ebert pointed out in his positive review, it was also the first old-fashioned Wayne western in some time, after more subversive offerings such as True determination. Rio Lobo is certainly not the best example of the star’s work, but that was never really the goal.

Source: RogerEbert.com

Rio Lobo (1970)

director

Howard Hawks

Release date

December 18, 1970

Pour

John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O’Neill, Jack Elam, Christopher Mitchum, Victor French, Susana Dosamantes, Sherry Lansing, David Huddleston, Mike Henry, Bill Williams, Jim Davis, Dean Smith, Robert Donner, George Plimpton, Edward Faulkner, Peter Jason, Chuck Courtney, Robert Rothwell

Character(s)

Col. Cord McNally, Capt. Pierre Cordona, Shasta Delaney, Phillips, Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips, Ketcham, María Carmen, Amelita, Dr. Ivor Jones, Sheriff Tom Hendricks, Sheriff Pat Cronin, Riley, Bide, Whitey Carter, George, Whitey’s 4th henchman, Lt. Harris, Lt. Forsythe, Chuck, Whitey’s 2nd henchman, Whitey’s 3rd henchman

Duration

114 minutes

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