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Red River

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Red River (1948)

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Reviews Counted: 19

Fresh: 19

Rotten:0

Average Rating: 8.7/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Genre: Westerns

Synopsis: RED RIVER, Howard Hawks's masterpiece, is one of the greatest Westerns ever filmed, a saga of obsession and rivalry between a man and his adoptive son amid an epic struggle for survival in the Old... RED RIVER, Howard Hawks's masterpiece, is one of the greatest Westerns ever filmed, a saga of obsession and rivalry between a man and his adoptive son amid an epic struggle for survival in the Old West. Tom Dunson (John Wayne) journeys west to Texas to build a cattle empire and adopts Matthew Garth, a young boy orphaned by an Indian raid. Years later, Matthew (Montgomery Clift) returns from the Civil War and joins Dunson on a massive cattle drive north undertaken to avoid financial ruin. Stampedes and Indian attacks build tension, but it is Dunson's ironfisted leadership that causes the most problems, finally bringing the action to a boiling point that pits father against son. This bold canvas of the American frontier features stirring performances, including Clift in his first film and Wayne in one of his finest and most complex roles, stunning photography shot on location in Arizona, and a perfect balance of action, drama, romance, and comedy from one of Hollywood's greatest directors. [More]

Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru

Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Coleen Gray, John Ireland, Noah Beery, Harry Carey

Director: Howard Hawks

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: Borden Chase, Charles Schnee
Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 12, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • NTSC
  • Keep Case
  • Single Side - Single Layer
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Mono - English

Interactive Features:

  • Scene Access
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Red River

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1 - 19 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The staging of physical conflict is deadly, equalling anything yet seen on the screen.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/13/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Howard Hawks stages the definitive cow opera with beautiful, lyrical, exciting sequences of stampeding, rough weather, cowboying and Indian skirmishes.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/13/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Of the may big names involved in the making of Red River, few made greater films.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/13/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/11/08
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

A grand, sprawling tale of the civilizing of the west.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
07/15/07
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

This brilliant Hawks Western, one of the decade's best, has been interpreted in different ways, but at its core is the contrast between John Wayne's and Montgomery Clift's leadership style and perception of manhood.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/22/06
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Hawks never did anything self-consciously. You always realize how great his films are after you're through enjoying yourself.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/06/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Immaculately shot by Russell Harlan, perfectly performed by a host of Hawks regulars, and shot through with dark comedy, it's probably the finest Western of the '40s.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
04/08/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
03/30/05
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Even despite a big let-down, which fortunately comes near the end, it stands sixteen hands above the level of routine horse opera these days. So strap on your trusty six-shooters and race to the wind-swept Capitol, you lovers of good old Western fiction.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
09/22/02
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

It's the best western of the 1940s.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/22/02
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Filled with beautiful black and white photography, especially for its era, Red River is an atmospheric ride a la Unforgiven.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/09/01
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

There have been many classic westerns but this Hawks masterpiece certainly ranks among the best of the genre.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a sign of the movie's complexity that John Wayne, often typecast, is given a tortured, conflicted character to play.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Red River (1948) is a classic western (considered by many critics to be one of the ten best westerns ever made), a sweeping, epic story about a cattle drive

Full Review Source: Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films | comment Comment
01/01/00
Tim Dirks
Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films
 
 
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