Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Leofwine_draca The third and final film in Howard Hawks's famous trilogy of westerns starring John Wayne; the first was RIO BRAVO and the second EL DORADO. This late-stage entry in the genre is far better than I was expecting, a bright and colourful western with an interesting cast and an ageing star who still has the power to kick backside with the best of them.The opening of RIO LOBO is particularly astute, featuring a heist on a train carrying a gold shipment which is very well directed and exciting. Wayne plays the usual stock hero and wrings maximum presence out of his part, only this time around he's supported by a mixture of old hands (Jack Elam) and new faces (Mexican star Jorge Rivero and Christopher Mitchum).The narrative slows down after the first section which is understandable given the passage of time. However, it soon picks up in scenes which are very reminiscent of RIO BRAVO, and keeps bubbling along pretty well until the action climax. I did find the villains to be rather weak in this film but the heroes are so larger than life that it doesn't really matter. Jennifer O'Neill's female lead is an irritant rather than an asset but she's not bad enough to spoil what is an overall fun picture.

Gatto Nero Finally got a chance to see this classic! It was a 1st in many ways, Hawks final film, Peter Jason and Sandra Currie's film debut, the rare pairing of Wayne with Jorge Rivero.As always the larger-than-life John Wayne is the star. And he shines in his role of Col. Cord McNally. A little over-the-hill type of guy who's not comfortable with the word "comfortable"! For me it was a treat to see the great Jorge Rivero as the young and strong-looking, Capt. Pierre Cordona aka Frenchy. but as always Hollywood does it again as I have noticed in countless pictures, why is it that whenever a minority , in this case a Latino, who does not look like your typical minority because of great presence or muscularity or stature or color-eyes, has to be a mix?? Or half- breed per say?? Ever notice that? But because he can't be all white, he has to be mix with something, half-white or in this case, half-French. Just a observation... Anyways, Rivero did OK and held his own with The Duke but he was still young and had a lot to learn. I can't tell if that was his real voice or dubbed though.The beautiful Jennifer O'Neill fared a little better as the feisty and tough Shasta Delaney but not for one minute did I buy the so-called 'love' that blossomed between her and Rivero. She actually came on like a snobbish witch to me but it was what the role demanded I guess. I wish the Duke would have just flung her over his knees and given her a good spanking! It was what she deserved.The ever reliable, dependable Jack Elam stole the picture for me. He came on quite late but once he did, he made every scene count. And man he had me laughing with his crazed, loony, punch-drunk Phillips. You could tell the Duke was just holding back from laughing as well in the scenes with Elam.Christopher Mitchum did pretty good as Rivero's partner in crime,Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips. I liked the interplay between him and the Duke.The late Victor French as Ketcham (boss of Rio Lobo) did OK. He really didn't have much to do but be at the mercy of The Duke and Elam and be held hostage.The lovely Susana Dosamantes did the typical ethnic role of María Carmen. But she handle it well I believe. It's interesting to know that she and Rivero later co-starred in so many Spanish-speaking films later on.In a weird bit of casting but in a good sexy way, Shelly Lansing oozed a bit of sexiness in a scene with Rivero, her being half-naked and all, as the lovely but doomed Amelita. Their scene, which was brief, was more believable in terms of chemistry than O'Neill's and Rivero's.The great David Huddleston as Dr. Ivor Jones the Rio Lobo dentist, was also a treat as was Elam's. The scene of Jones with the Duke faking a pulled tooth was a hoot.The imposing Mike Henry had an OK role as the Rio Lobo Sheriff 'Blue Tom' Hendricks. I wish he and The Duke would have had a fist-fight or something but it didn't happen. Rumor has it that Wayne was not doing well health wise when filming this picture. Even Hawks says that was the reason he felt the picture did not do well in the box office or with the critics.The late Jim Davis as a Rio Lobo Deputy was way too short and I felt he was wasted in a minor role.I didn't even see the late George Plimpton or hear the famous one-line which was the basis for a TV special.The great Peter Jason made quite a debut as Lt. Forsythe the gold train detail officer! Being stung by hornets and jumping off a train and subsequently breaks his neck and dies! And the beautiful Sondra Currie made a super brief uncredited debut as a Blackthorne Prostitute with one line that Rivero kicks out of his room to make room for a fainted O'Neill.The late great Bob Steele makes a uncredited bit as a Rio Lobo Deputy.The late great Hank Worden does also a uncredited bit as Hank, a Hotel Clerk.And last but not least, The Duke had one of his sons, Ethan Wayne, in a uncredited cameo bit. (I didn't see him) :(

Lechuguilla The basic problem with "Rio Lobo" is the script. It's dreadful. Set during the Civil War, the plot begins with a Confederate Rebel train robbery of a Union gold shipment. This twenty minute sequence is a long, tedious, drawn-out affair. Then, the plot shifts to a different focus, as character motivations make a dramatic U-turn, and we move from a Civil War setting to a Western setting.Except for Cord McNally (John Wayne), Pierre Cordona (Jorge Rivero), and Tuscarora (Chris Mitchum), characters in the last third of the film bear no relation to characters in the first third of the film. Indeed, the entire plot seems put together with loose strands that barely connect.Once we get to the Western town of Rio Lobo, at least the daytime visuals look good, with convincing production design and costumes, even if the reason we're here is unclear and confusing. Yet, though the daytime images look fine, nighttime scenes look fake owing to the use of camera filters.Casting is dubious. John Wayne looks too old for the role he plays. Rivero and Mitchum seem too inexperienced. Acting trends below average; I'm not sure any of the actors took their roles seriously. Given McNally's motivation, Wayne plays the role too sweetly and amiably, hardly the tough and intense character we would expect.The best that can be said for "Rio Lobo" is that some of the daytime camera shots are quite pleasing, in that they convey images that romanticize the Old West. Apart from that, the production is far from ideal. But the most serious weakness is a script that needed a complete rewrite.

Spikeopath Out of Paramount Pictures, Rio Lobo is directed and produced by Howard Hawks (the last film he would direct) and stars John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jeniffer O'Neill, Jack Elam & Christopher Mitchum. It's written by Leigh Brackett & Burton Wohl, musically scored by Jerry Goldsmith and photographed by William H. Clothier on location at Cuernavaca, Mexico & Tuscon, Arizona. It's the third film in a loose trilogy by Hawks & Wayne that follows Rio Bravo (1959) & El Dorado (1966). Plot follows 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 a relationship that will see all parties end up in Rio Lobo, Texas, where a 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 any good, while Wayne himself was quoted as saying that he had already made the film twice before. Almost everything about Rio Lobo is tired, from the formula of the story to Wayne sleepwalking thru a role that held no challenge, 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's nice to see the three lady characters be important to the story, but the cast put around Wayne are poor and out of their depth and this rubs off on the normally professional Wayne who finds he has nothing to act off of.It's not a total stinker, tho, certainly Clothier's photography and Goldsmith's score are worthy of investing time with, and the lead off sequence involving the train robbery is well put together and stirs the adrenalin. Sadly the film is never able to reach those heights again, with the ending being a rather tame affair that doesn't do justice to the bitter revenge tone that Hawks has steered the film towards. Of the sub-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 the film just about comes out as watchable Sunday afternoon fodder. A running 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 use for Rio Lobo, because director and star are in the comfort zone, comfortably making an unchallenging and old hat movie. 5/10