Tonight at Home: Watch John Wayne’s Timeless Western Masterpiece Again!

If you’re a fan of westerns, you might have already seen the benchmark film directed by Howard Hawks starring John Wayne: Rio Bravo. The good news for subscribers of the Max platform is that you can watch it over and over!

The plot is straightforward: Sheriff John T. Chance and his two deputies (one battling alcoholism and the other old and crippled) must keep a wealthy local rancher’s brother locked up despite pressure from the rancher’s men who are determined to free him before the federal marshal arrives. They receive help from a young gunslinger named Colorado Ryan, who recently arrived in town by wagon.

The casting was a major talking point at the time because one of the deputies was played by Dean Martin, who, despite a memorable role in “The Young Lions” and a stunning performance in “Some Came Running,” was still seen as a comedic actor (having started out in a duo with Jerry Lewis with whom he had worked for many years) and the other by young rocker Ricky Nelson (who plays Colorado). The production even considered Elvis Presley for the role.

This urban standoff, unburdened by the usual spectacular chases and shootouts, uses the saved time to delve into the psychology of the main characters. Hawks, facing the rise of western series, understood that the audience of that era was less attached to the plot than to the heroes. This is why the film, for instance, takes time to explore Dean Martin’s character’s redemption arc and his struggle with alcoholism, as well as the complexity of Feathers, played by Angie Dickinson.

The box office success of Rio Bravo led John Wayne to focus even more on westerns, and he would almost exclusively work in this genre until the end of his career nearly two decades later. Dean Martin would gain the recognition he had been missing and secure leading roles, while Ricky Nelson would earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Newcomer. Not bad for just one film!