Rio Bravo

Guns, booze, hats, horses, melodrama, violence, murder -- yeah, it's a western, all right. And, in fact, it's a pretty good one. What lifts this flick above the average oater is the chess match aspect of the plot. The strategic back and forth of the plot keeps what is an otherwise very simple story a little more complex and a lot more engaging, even through a long running time. The performances help, too; Dean Martin provides strong work as a man caught in the middle of two conflicts (one of his own making), Ricky Nelson is fine as the young hotshot, and John Wayne is...well, he's John Wayne -- the exact same sui generis performer who made so many movies like this must watch entertainment for a nation of movie-goers. Indeed, part of the appeal here is, from today's perspective, the palpable sense that this is a relic from a bygone country. Everything from the set design to the way people talk and interact in this film speaks about frames of mind that are, at this point, long gone in the past -- and no, not exactly with good riddance, either. Ultimately, this here's a super-satisfying blast from the past that entertains in the moment, and leaves one pondering just what has been left behind.