Rio Bravo (1959)

 Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo"


To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film "Rio Bravo." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), "The Big Sleep" is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen.

"Rio Bravo" is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's "High Noon," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made "Rio Bravo" to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally have not yet seen "High Noon," so I'm not at liberty to make the fullest of judgements. However, I have seen "Rio Bravo" and I can guess that I might prefer "High Noon." 

The entire crux of the film is 'standing up for what you believe in' and 'standing up for justice.' I do like that sentiment in that the characters choose law and order and justice over a rich man's tolerance for his brother's criminal flagrance. From that perspective, the film felt like a representation of the diminishing societal values due to unethical behavior by wealthy elitism. In this way, the film could also mirror that sentiment with the declining Hollywood style and that of the Western genre. The bunkered down last stand by the characters could be a final deathgrip on the classical Hollywood standard.

However, the climax of the film completely did not work for me. Honestly, I can't really even remember it. What I do remember was that it was very unserious and didn't play with the rest of the movie. "Rio Bravo" did not work for me at all, despite all the acclaim that it gets. I guess this also means I can never date Quentin Tarantino, as he once said that if his date doesn't like this film, there is no relationship. Sorry, Quentin.



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