latic

(2013-05-20 15:50:58)

Not quite as bad as people make out

After an excellent start with the train ambush, the movie loses steamand never really picks up, an unhappy way for a great director likeHawks to bow out. But I did not get too bored and was happy enough tostick it out to the end, even though the writing is too flat andderivative with echos of half a dozen better movies. Rivero lacks thecharisma that could have helped to save things but I do not thinkO'Neill is as bad as some reviewers claim – not expressive enough withher dialogue at this stage but I think you can see the spark that gaveher a respectable career in movies. But, as usual, Wayne saves the day.Even in a disappointing movie like this, that enormous screen presencereminds you just what a great star he was.

(2013-05-19 23:50:29)

Rio Lobo

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) Great movie. Husband loved the Christmas presets, he is a John Wayne movie collector. Still looking for more. Try them

(2013-05-16 03:01:44)

Rio Lobo DVD

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) John Wayne, what can you say? And it is helping me complete my John Wayne llibrary of all his movies!

(2013-05-15 13:07:22)

RIO LOBO

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Another John Wayne Western, Oh Boy. Boy was I wrong! This was very entertaining and pleasant to watch. No wonder John Wayne is the legend he is. With all the technology and huge budgets in Hollywood today, and a movie like this is watched and thoroughly enjoyed decades after it was made. That should say it all.

JohnRouseMerriottChard

(2013-05-10 02:56:50)

Don't say comfortable eh?

Out of Paramount Pictures, Rio Lobo is directed and produced by HowardHawks (the last film he would direct) and stars John Wayne, JorgeRivero, Jeniffer O'Neill, Jack Elam & Christopher Mitchum. It's writtenby Leigh Brackett & Burton Wohl, musically scored by Jerry Goldsmithand photographed by William H. Clothier on location at Cuernavaca,Mexico & Tuscon, Arizona. It's the third film in a loose trilogy byHawks & Wayne that follows Rio Bravo (1959) & El Dorado (1966). Plotfollows Wayne as Union officer Cord McNally who loses gold shipments(via the railway) to Confederate guerrillas led by Pierre Cordona(Rivero) & Tuscarora Phillips (Mitchum). It's the start of arelationship that will see all parties end up in Rio Lobo, Texas, wherea traitor and a despotic sheriff are in their midst.Rio Lobo is easily the weakest Western that Hawks made with Duke Wayne.He himself would say that he didn't like the film, felt it wasn't anygood, while Wayne himself was quoted as saying that he had already madethe film twice before. Almost everything about Rio Lobo is tired, fromthe formula of the story to Wayne sleepwalking thru a role that held nochallenge, it's a poor send off for one of America's finest directors.The script is solid enough, with many Hawksian themes evident; and it'snice to see the three lady characters be important to the story, butthe cast put around Wayne are poor and out of their depth and this rubsoff on the normally professional Wayne who finds he has nothing to actoff of.It's not a total stinker, tho, certainly Clothier's photography andGoldsmith's score are worthy of investing time with, and the lead offsequence involving the train robbery is well put together and stirs theadrenalin. Sadly the film is never able to reach those heights again,with the ending a rather tame affair that doesn't do justice to thebitter revenge tone that Hawks has steered the film towards. Of thesub-standard support cast there's only Jack Elam who is worth watching,be it for comedy value or for just giving it some gusto. All told thefilm just about comes out as watchable Sunday afternoon fodder. Arunning theme in the film sees fun poked at the ageing Wayne's expense,one of which involves the word comfortable. That is an apt word to usefor Rio Lobo, because director and star are in the comfort zone,comfortably making an unchallenging and old hat movie. 5/10

(2013-05-09 09:48:55)

A true western classic

Along with Clint Eastwood, John Wayne is the greatest on-screen cowboy of all time. This 1970 western film proves that and so does so many other great movies he's starred in. "Rio Lobo" has plenty of action and gun fights (The train robbery is especially fun to watch) and some of the dialoge was hilarious. I've seen this about a million times and I still like it. Go add "Rio Lobo" to your western movie collection today!

(2013-05-08 20:49:38)

Duke at his best and incredible Blu-ray conversion

This review is from: Rio Lobo [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) First off this is probably the best Blu-ray conversion of an older movie that i've gotten. On a Samsung Un55C8000 tv there is absolutely no grain in the picture at all.And as far as John Wayne movies go, this is one of the best.

david

(2013-05-08 07:46:15)

Beg to differ

Terrific Wayne-Hawks Western, almost remake of RIO BRAVO, which happens to be the greatest Western ever made. This is great fun, loaded withaction, lotsa comedy, great finish with the Duke, Elam, Mike Henry andthe vengeful Sherry Lansing. And Chris Mitchum's in there somewhere. My #4 film of '70.Young people, if you wanna see a Bad John Wayne film, check outBARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA. If you're lookin' for a Bad Hawks movie -Stop. There ain't any. Not even RED LINE 7000.

Karl Ericsson

(2013-05-02 00:10:49)

same story the third time around and bad acting all around - but who cares?

Yeah, who cares if it's all the same? This isn't a movie, it's a goodtime and it feels. Not so much as in Rio Bravo or, even better, ElDorado but still, it's there and the heist in the beginning is ratherwell carried through, in spite of all the nonsense.Just the stubbornness of doing the same film for the third time withalmost the same locations is so downright disrespectful that itdeserves extra praise just that. Who does he think that he is, HowardHawks? He doesn't care and cares even less than a flying fart what youthink of him. Well if that isn't charming, what is? What I'm reallysaying with this review is that Howard Hawks shows us how little astory really means and how many different things can be said withoutchanging the story.

BrianV

(2013-05-01 04:22:35)

Big disappointment

Being the John Wayne/Howard Hawks fan that I am, I expected great thingsfrom "Rio Lobo." Unfortunately, it's one of the Duke's weakest efforts.Howard Hawks has a style all of his own, but none of it is in evidencehere.As a matter of fact, the one thing this picture reminds me of is thosecheesy A.C. Lyles westerns from the '60s, which were made cheap and loadedwith familiar faces like Rory Calhoun, Howard Keel, Rod Cameron,etc.The biggest problem in this film is the performances of the younger castmembers. Jennifer O'Neill is ravishingly beautiful but can't act her wayoutof a paper bag. Her scenes with Rivero are among the most embarrassing onrecord. Rivero has trouble with English and seems to be reciting his linesphonetically; O'Neill doesn't seem to have the slightest idea of what sheisdoing. She steps on other actors' lines, forgets hers, misses cues, and isapretty good argument for models not being paid for opening their mouths.Future studio head Sherry Lansing has a small part as a Mexican girl whogesbeaten up by bad sheriff Mike Henry; she was a much better studio headthanan actress. It's up to the old pros like Wayne, Bill Williams, Jim Davis,Victor French and especially David Huddlestson as a frontier dentist togivethis picture some semblance of professionalism, performance-wise. JackElamas an ornery old codger gives an over-the-top performance that isnevertheless fun to watch. Mike Henry is quite good as a sadistic, crookedsheriff. Yakima Canutt staged the rousing action scenes with his usualflair, and there's a good Jerry Goldsmith score. Unfortunately, however,thetrite script and the incompetent performances are obstacles that neitherHawks nor Wayne can overcome. O'Neill has a line early in the film thatpretty much sums up her performance: "I'm acting like an idiot, aren'tI?"Yup.

Mister-6

(2013-05-01 02:46:35)

That's the real stuff!

Simply put, this is one of the greatest Westerns of the '70s. And with thekind of clout it has, it couldn't possibly miss.Hawks' direction, Brackett and Wohl's script, Goldsmith's score and even thelegendary Yakima Canutt as second unit director all do their parts to makethis one of the brightest and snappiest tales from the Old Westever.Oh yeah, and the Duke's in it, too. Comfortable as ever in a genre hebasically dominates anyway, John Wayne (the great "re-actor") makes everyword he says and every action he takes as stalwart and as forceful as if hewere taking to the screen for the first time.Much has been made of how weak the younger actors are, but considering thecircumstances, they do well for themselves (even a young Lansing, who wouldgo on to bigger and better things beyond the camera). The liveliest performance, though, is saved for good old Jack Elam, aslooney as ever, and handy with a shotgun as well as mouth harp. He also hasthe best line: "Don't mind if I shoot anyway, it makes me feelbetter."You'll no doubt recognize a lot of faces in this film, and probably besurprised to see them there (yes, THAT George Plimpton) but in a film thisbig and this good, it looks like everyone wanted to get into theact.And through it all, Wayne swaggers and shoots and helps save the Western wayof life. You have to admit, there ain't nothing like the "Rio" thing!Ten stars. Check out "Rio Lobo" but just because The Duke looks at easehere, don't call him "comfortable".

(2013-04-30 22:48:24)

THE DUKE SEEKS REVENGE

Once again the movies of John Wayne are slowly making their way onto blu-ray format. Perhaps not the most famous of those films but ones that continued to show why even during his later years Wayne continued to make westerns that could entertain. RIO LOBO finds Wayne as Col. Cord McNally at the tail end of the Civil War. Waiting for a gold shipment he's disappointed when confederate soldiers led by Capt. Pierre Cardona (Jorge Rivero) drops a hornet's nest into the car containing the gold and soldiers and then cuts lose the train cars to steal the loot. A back and forth of who has whom results in Wayne capturing Cordona and his right hand man, Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips (Christopher Mitchum).The years pass, the war ends and prisoners are set free. McNally meets up with Cordona and Phillips in search of information. He wants to find who it was that set up the train heist, who it was on his side that was feeding the south information. One of McNally's friends was killed in the attack, a killing he doesn't hold against his war time foes but does against a traitor. The three part ways on good terms giving McNally a little to go on but enough that months later he heads to Rio Lobo in search of the traitor.On his way there he once again runs into Cordona. They also become acquainted with a young woman named Shasta (Jennifer O'Neill) fleeing Rio Lobo and hunted by three killers with badges. Needless to say they lose the ensuing gunfight and McNally discovers that not only has the traitor taken over the sheriff in Rio Lobo, he's about to put an end to Tuscarora and his family as well. The three set out for Rio Lobo to help and finally get the revenge that McNally sought to begin with.So this is a later John Wayne film and one that did decent at the box office but also showed a decline in movie goer's enjoyment of westerns and Wayne as well. Sure it did good business but not what his earlier films did. But that doesn't take away the fact that this is an enjoyable film that the entire family can watch. There are a few violent moments that small children might not need to see (a woman shows the results of a facial slice made by bad guy Mike Henry as Rio Lobo's sheriff for hire) but it's far less graphic than even some TV shows today.There is plenty of gun slinging and Wayne once more turns down the role of romantic lead, offering it to the younger Rivero instead. A smart move on his part as chances are ticket buyers would have had a hard time dealing with the older more mature Wayne hooking up with the much younger O'Neill. There is more plot than usual for a western here between the civil war antics and the search for the traitor who sold out his fellow soldiers (played by Victor French long before his LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE days) but that just brings in more folks to help before the final gunfight.Of interest to some would be the casting of two individuals in the film. The first is a bad guy, the initial three who come looking for O'Neill played almost silently by George Plimpton. Plimpton was a writer known for his taking on jobs to find out what they were like first hand. His claim to fame was writing the book PAPER LION where the lean and tall Plimpton spent time as a Detroit Lion football players to see what it was like. Here, he takes on the role of a stunt man. The second would be Sherry Lansing as Amelita. Lansing worked as an actress for some time before moving behind the camera and becoming not just a producer but the head of Paramount Studios for some time. No, this is not John Wayne's best film nor would I consider it in the top ten. But it does offer a good western that you can kick back and enjoy. The blu-ray format does indeed help the quality of the picture and gives it that much newer feel and look. One can only hope that all of Wayne's films receive the same treatment down the line.

(2013-04-29 19:51:17)

They must have thought this plot was a good one, because they made this movie three times

Rio Lobo, El Dorado, and Rio Bravo are all John Wayne films and all three have the same plot. Each has a little different story line,but basicly they are the same film. But that doesn`t harm they as much as you might think. All are good fun westerns, just don`twatch them all back to back.Rio Lobo is a good old fashion fun shoot up the bad guys against long odds western. It doesn`t try for social commentary on thehuman condition, just a good guys vs bad guys western adventure. John Wayne is the hard nosed larger than life hero who with thehelp of the supporting characters wups up on the bad guys. While immortal western comic Jack Elam injects a healthy dose ofcomedy relief when needed.While it`s not one of John Wayne`s best films, I still highly recommend it.

(2013-04-29 06:28:54)

Great train robbery, score, women & cast

Released in 1970, Howard Hawks' "Rio Lobo" starts with a thrilling Confederate train robbery of a Union gold shipment. After the war Col. McNally (John Wayne) buddies up with Confederate Capt. "Frenchie" (Jorge Rivero) to try to track down the Union traitors indirectly responsible for the gold robberies and the death of his close comrade and spiritual son. The trail leads to the Texas town Rio Lobo and a showdown.POSITIVES:- One of the main reasons I bought "Rio Lobo" was the opening guitar score by Jerry Goldsmith. This sequence features an exceptional two-guitar piece with the camera zeroed-in closely on an acoustic guitar and the guitarist's hands. Sometimes I put this movie on just to see this part. - The first half hour involves the Confederate train robbery and ensuing conflicts, which really make the film stand out from other Westerns. It's a great sequence -- convincing and original. Civil War devotees should seek out "Rio Lobo" just for this. - Three notable women are featured: Jennifer O'Neill, Susana Dosamantes and Sherry Lansing who went on to became president of 20th Century-Fox and, later, chairman of Paramount Pictures (Lansing is the scarred girl Wayne more or less rides off into the sunset with). I've heard jokes/comments over the years about the number of babes in the town of Rio Lobo, most single. But, really, there's only two in the town: Maria (Susan), who is seeing Frenchie's comrade, and Lansing, who isn't all that exceptional anyway; O'Neill was just passing through as part of some snake oil show.- The protagonists -- McNally (Wayne), Frenchie (Rivero), Shasta (O'Neil) and others (e.g. Jack Elam, Christopher Mitchum, Dosamantes and Lansing) -- have good chemistry and comaraderie. The film was made right after the advent of the Spaghetti Western, which was known for amorality and lack of character depth & camaraderie. The protagonists in Italo-Westerns were almost always antiheroes rather than heroes; they were grim, silent, one-dimensional killing machines, very comic-booky, e.g. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Charles Bronson and Franco Nero (Django). While these types of characters are great when you're 13-20, they don't cut it when you're an adult and naturally require more depth and realism. Don't get me wrong, the Spaghetti-Westerns added (or perfected) a cool new style and grim sense of realism to the Western, but they accomplished this at the expense of morality, character depth and social realism. This explains why Clint Eastwood combined elements of both to forge the exceptional "The Outlaw Josey Wales" in 1976 after the decline of the Italo-Western. Needless to say, it's nice to have a group of likable characters in "Rio Lobo" who get along and you can root for.- An exceptional example of this good-natured companionship is shown in the middle of the film before the protagonists reach Rio Lobo. McNally, Frenchie and Shasta are camping out in the desert where the running joke of McNally being "comfortable" for women (but not romantically attractive) starts. I love that scene. - Great Mexican & Arizona locations. (I'm not sure if the opening Civil War sequences were filmed in Arizona but, if so, they did a great job of making it look like the East).NEGATIVES:- The story is very disjointed. The opening Civil War sequence seems like a different film. And it takes about an hour just to make it to the titular Texas town, but I've been able to adapt to this over the years and enjoy the latter portions of the film.- Some have complained about the acting, particularly O'Neill, Rivero and Mitchum, but is this their fault or the writer's fault? Regardless, I just chalk it up to the distinctiveness of the actors. I've met numerous unique people in life who act strangely, but it's really just their special individuality or style, e.g. Gary Cooper & John Wayne. I think that's the case here more than anything else.- A few scenes are uncovincing. For instance, when Frenchie suddenly darts into Lansing's house while she's dressing, which is their first meeting; the ensuing conversation just doesn't smack of reality. I suppose the filmmakers were shooting for something amusing, but it seems patched in from another movie. Or the later episode where the protagonists raid the ranch house at night: people are lurking just around the corner and they aren't able to hear the various nearby (obviously loud) assaults? Why sure!- The opening score is only heard a couple of more times, briefly, but not with guitars like the opening. This score was too great to be heard in such a limited capacity. Why not at least utilize it for the ending? This was a huge mistake. "Rio Lobo" has similarities to Hawks' "Rio Bravo" (1959) and "El Dorado" (1967), both also with Wayne, but "Rio Lobo" is far from a remake of either. It has its own individual story. Of the three I like "Rio Lobo" the most followed closely by "El Dorado."BOTTOM LINE: "Rio Lobo" is unique and underrated. Yes the story is disjointed and there are a few unconvincing scenes, which make the film seem dated compared to contemporaneous Westerns like "Duel At Diablo" or "Bandolero!" But "Rio Lobo" possesses quite a few aspects that are really good and even great, like the opening score & guitar sequence, the thrilling train robbery & Civil War parts, the likable protagonists & their camaraderie, the beautiful women and stunning Mexican locations. GRADE: Originally I rated "Rio Lobo" 3/5 Stars but I've come to adjust to it's uniqueness and have developed a solid appreciation for the film. I understand why many give it 3 Stars (or less) but I've come to regard it as a 4/5 Star effort overall, which means a B or, at least, B-It goes without saying, If you've seen "Rio Lobo" and felt it was mediocre give it another chance; it grows on you with repeat viewings.The film runs 114 minutes.

Tiny Tom

(2013-04-25 09:50:43)

One of the best

How can you not like a movie like this when you get John Wayne, Dean Martinm and Ricky Nelson in a movie. It is one of John Wayne's most memorable western movies in his later age.

(2013-04-25 07:05:16)

"You don't mind if I shoot, do ya? It makes me feel better."

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) John Wayne's back in the saddle and the world is okay. Demonstrating that director Howard Hawks isn't at all averse to lifting from his own material, this movie is the second remake of RIO BRAVO (after EL DORADO), and, let's not kid ourselves, it's the least version of all three flicks and the looser adaptation. It's not to say that RIO LOBO isn't a solid western, because it is. The story opens during the last days of the Civil War, as a gang of Confederate soldiers commit a daring train heist and make off with the Union Army's payroll. It's not their first time doing this. Union Army Colonel Cord McNally (John Wayne) nabs the thieving Confederate leader, Captain Pierre Cordona (Jorge Rivero), and yet somehow a friendship is struck up. No hard feelings, then, especially when the war ends soon after.Traitors within the Union Army had been feeding vital information to Captain Cordona, and it's these traitors for whom an incensed Colonel McNally is really gunning. The story picks up some time later as McNally, Cordona, and a spunky girl (Jennifer O'Neill) seeking retribution for her murdered friend converge at Rio Lobo, Texas. There, rough John Wayne justice awaits the Union traitors and the town's crooked sheriff and deputies.You gotta love John Wayne's half-startled, half-exasperated double takes. He comes off as this still very capable man who is constantly bemused by those around him. It's a strong hint that your romantic leading man days are firmly in the rear view mirror when a sexy, young Jennifer O'Neill opts to share your sleeping blankets - instead of, say, the younger Rivero's - because, as she remarks: "Well, you're older. You're comfortable." The sub-text being: "And you're too old to try any hanky panky." 1970 finds John Wayne at his twilight, long past being spry. The "comfortable" line becomes a running gag in the film.And yet, even at this stage, the Duke still had what it takes to sell a convincing action sequence. He never did lose that commanding screen presence. Jorge Rivero makes a good second banana, playing the dashing French-Mexican Confederate Captain. Jack Elam has the colorful Walter Brennan cranky old-timer role, and, by the way, I wouldn't be caught dead in a staring contest with Jack Elam. RIO LOBO also benefits from featuring three lovely actresses. Sherry Lansing has a near topless scene, and, for a Rated G flick, this scene is pretty steamy. And "steamy" is an adjective one rarely bandies about in a John Wayne film (maybe THE QUIET MAN). Anyway, RIO LOBO is an all too familiar oater. Jorge Rivero does fine, but the film suffers some from not having Dean Martin or Robert Mitchum (or, for that matter, Ricky Nelson or James Caan) in supporting roles. In my opinion, John Wayne may have taught himself to become a good actor, but he'd always been a great reactor. As such, he requires a certain caliber of stars to react to for him to really shine. As it is, RIO LOBO is watchable for having the Duke in it, even as aged and physically hampered (read: sick as a dog) and "comfortable" as he's gotten. Just now, I labeled RIO LOBO an "all too familiar oater." But sometimes what we need is the familiarity that only comfort food or your favorite chair or a John Wayne picture can deliver. 3.5 out of 5 stars for this one.

(2013-04-22 23:50:20)

Good movie

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) Quality of movie was good. I would recommend it to a friend.I received the movie quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

(2013-04-22 21:55:43)

Started off promising....

This one starts off great w/ a train robbery but then flickers out light a used candle. The Duke was paired with co-stars who seemed to know nothing about the dialect or mannerisms of the old west. Their acting styles made them great candidates for guest spots on "The Love Boat" or "Charlies Angels". The two girls were quite the hotties but out of place in this flix. Im wondering who the target audience was. All in all, worth seeing once for the train robbery but don't even think of buying this one.

(2013-04-22 08:45:09)

Rio Lobo

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) Rio Lobo is a great John Wayne movie with a lot of action all the way through. I would recommend it to any one that's a John Wayne movie fan or a fan of western movies.

(2013-04-21 19:06:34)

The Duke is great as always.

This review is from: Rio Lobo (DVD) I've been a John Wayne fan since I was a youngster. It's too bad that today's youth has no such admirable actors to look up to. They have self-centered, egotistical, spoiled brats as role-models. The Duke was a real person with standards who he stood for something. Plus, most of all, he loved his country and let everyone know it! All who enjoyed what he gave us will miss him. This movie was a fun time. The story was great. It shows how enemies can put aside their differences for a common cause. Lots of action, horses, cowboys, and a pretty leading lady. What more can a western fan ask for??!!