Rio Bravo

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Rio Bravo

1959

2h 21m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

50 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When gunslinger Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) kills a man in a saloon, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) arrests him with the aid of the town drunk, Dude (Dean Martin). Before long, Burdette's brother, Nathan (John Russell), comes around, indicating that he's prepared to bust his brother out of jail if necessary. Chance decides to make a stand until reinforcements arrive, enlisting Dude, an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and baby-faced cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) to help.

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Critics Consensus

Rio Bravo finds director Howard Hawks -- and his stellar ensemble cast -- working at peak performance, and the end result is a towering classic of the Western genre.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

04/23/2013

The movie is simultaneously an apogee of the classic Western style, with its principled violence in defense of just law, and an eccentrically hyperbolic work of modernism, which yokes both bumptious erotic comedy and soul-searing rawness to the mission.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

04/23/2013

4/4

To watch Rio Bravo is to see a master craftsman at work. The film is seamless. There is not a shot that is wrong. It is uncommonly absorbing, and the 141-minute running time flows past like running water.

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TIME Magazine

04/27/2009

Wayne, of course, walks off with the show -- not by doing anything in particular, but simply by being what he is: at 51, still one of the most believable he-men in Hollywood.

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Moira Walsh

The Catholic World

11/28/2023

In addition to its excessive length and consequent slow pace the film has other liabilities... Nevertheless the characterizations are unusually solid and get more interesting as they go along.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

08/10/2023

4/4

A marvelous motion picture.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

07/21/2023

It's pure romantic bliss that feels about as far away from a political statement as you could imagine.

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Fred

10/24/2024

It looked spectacular on the big screen. It's a wonderful film, with a great cast.

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steve

05/22/2023

Great great movie!!! Everyone is wonderful and perfect for their roles.it’s also very funny 🤠🤠🤠

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo 1d

What a squad! Wayne is the swagger, Nelson the handsome youth, Brennan the sass. Talented Martin as the hostage. Dickinson is gorgeous.

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Laurian D

@Laurian Dec 5

I gave it 2,5 stars out of respect for a movie that's almost seven decades old and the nice looking transfer. Other than that, it's incredibly overrated. Flat, one-dimensional characters, locations that scream "I'm a Hollywood set!" (just as the costumes), a horribly slow pace and shootouts that are as unconvincing as the lines delivered by the characters. Watch it only if you're simply curious about the 50's and don't expect much.

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Romas M

Aug 31

Greetings from Lithuania. "Rio Bravo" (1954) is a very good western film starring legendary John Wayne. I first time saw it in 2025 and this film surprised me in a good way. At its running time 2 h 20 min this movie did not drag for a minute and i was involved into its story. The story here is simple yet good. Its not just about shoot-em- up type of story, this one involves some themes about alcoholism and more important what leads to it. But don't expect deep analysis of it nor character exploration - at the end of day this is a John Wayne western movie, and a really good one. Acting was good by everyone involved, while Wayne himself is basically playing same character he is always did. Cinematography was good as well directing. Overall, "Rio Bravo" is a good old fashion western starring John Wayne - a one that they don't make anymore. Its old, but its really good and with newly remastered 4K UHD version i was surprised of how much good this film is. Recommended.

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Nick E

@nicksmovies93 Jul 2

Rio Bravo makes Howard Hawks a director to be reckoned with.

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Howard Hawks

Director

John Wayne

Sheriff John T. Chance

Dean Martin

Dude ("Borachón")

Ricky Nelson

Colorado Ryan

Angie Dickinson

Feathers

Walter Brennan

Stumpy

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Synopsis

When gunslinger Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) kills a man in a saloon, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) arrests him with the aid of the town drunk, Dude (Dean Martin). Before long, Burdette's brother, Nathan (John Russell), comes around, indicating that he's prepared to bust his brother out of jail if necessary. Chance decides to make a stand until reinforcements arrive, enlisting Dude, an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and baby-faced cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) to help.

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: B.H. McCampbell, Jules Furthman, Leigh Brackett
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Armada Pictures
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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