John Wayne as McNally in Rio Lobo against a film strip.
Summary Rio Lobo marked the end of an unofficial John Wayne trilogy, and has come to be regarded as one of his most underrated Westerns. John Wayne fronted 80 Westerns throughout his long career and starred in them right up until his final film, The Shootist. The 1970s was a grim time for the genre because outside of Wayne or Clint Eastwood, the popularity of the Western was on a downward trajectory in terms of box office.
In terms of plotting, Rio Lobo is doing nothing fresh or innovative. The film is a greatest hits package for both Wayne and Hawks, though the film does make concessions for its leading man's age. He no longer romances the female lead, and the more physical action is left to his younger co-star, Jorge Rivero. Still, he's very much the star, with McNally driving the story as he chases the traitors and forms up a ragtag team of allies around him - not unlike how things work in Rio Bravo.
Director Howard Hawks Release Date April 4, 1959 Distributor Warner Bros Writers Jules Furthman , Leigh Brackett , B.H. McCampbell Cast John Wayne , Dean Martin , Ricky Nelson , Angie Dickinson , Walter Brennan Runtime 141 Minutes Main Genre Drama Expand The Rio Bravo trilogy is really a series of remakes, with each offering subtle remixes of the same ingredients.
The 1970 adventure has the shootouts and horse chases expected, but much of it revolves around Wayne getting to know his new friends. The Rio Bravo trilogy honed in on the same themes and characters; McNally is essentially the same guy as Rio Bravo's John T. Chance or El Dorado's Cole Thornton, while the film once again sees his character mentoring a cocky younger gunfighter. Elam steals the show as Phillips, who is very much in the vein of Walter Brennan's Stumpy.
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