Kelly WandRio Lobo
September 8th 2006 06:52
“Rio Lobo”, his final film, is not the pinnacle of his career. It has some spectacular sequences including a marvellous train heist. The opening credits, featuring nothing except a guitar being played, are masterful. The trouble is, all the action is taken so light heartedly that it fails to convince. This approach had worked well in “Rio Bravo” because, in that film, the humour was surrounded by genuine drama and a sense of danger. In this film, the bad guys look like they need to be propped up until the final reel in case they get beaten too early.
By this stage in his career, John Wayne is well passed mustering the physical presence required to play the action hero. He shuffles around like a particularly cranky old man returning from a rather unpleasant trip to the proctologist. Younger cast members don’t even try to steal the spotlight even though it is just sitting there waiting for them to take. Old timers like Jack Elam get to throw in some fun “character parts” but its just not enough.
Besides, the western had moved on by the time this film was released. Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch” makes the bloodless violence offered here look absurd. Composer Jerry Goldsmith attempts a Morricone like score but, the thing is, Morricone’s scores were used to support Leone’s operatic sense of drama hand in glove. Without that sense of tension, the score is a wasted effort.
This film is still worth seeing but you shouldn’t knock yourself out hunting it down. I am sure it’ll turn up on television some wet afternoon yet to come. Its leisurely pacing might actually be improved by the interjection of advertisements every ten minutes.
I am curious as to why Paramount needed to put this out as a 1.78:1 release when the credits are clearly in 2.35:1. To add insult to injury, the cover claims this as part of its Widescreen Collection. When are these idiots ever going to learn that the people who want to watch these kind of films are the kind of people who are going to want to watch them in their original aspect ratios? And that goes double for Village Roadshow.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Red River would be their best film together and Rio Bravo is right up there too.
El Dorado of course is also the same film and just as entertaining thanks to Robert Mitchum.
Comment by Bob Short
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I did a review of The Wild Bunch and he seemed pumped about westerns.
i agree that most of the new horse operas are average but the ones we have been talking about are worthy modern editions.
The fact is, throughout the historyof cinema there is a wealth of fantastic ones, if you look. They mix thoughtful themes with action and bravery.