Rio Bravo

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Rio Bravo

1959

2h 21m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

50 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When gunslinger Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) kills a man in a saloon, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) arrests him with the aid of the town drunk, Dude (Dean Martin). Before long, Burdette's brother, Nathan (John Russell), comes around, indicating that he's prepared to bust his brother out of jail if necessary. Chance decides to make a stand until reinforcements arrive, enlisting Dude, an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and baby-faced cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) to help.

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Critics Consensus

Rio Bravo finds director Howard Hawks -- and his stellar ensemble cast -- working at peak performance, and the end result is a towering classic of the Western genre.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Apr 23, 2013

The movie is simultaneously an apogee of the classic Western style, with its principled violence in defense of just law, and an eccentrically hyperbolic work of modernism, which yokes both bumptious erotic comedy and soul-searing rawness to the mission.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Apr 23, 2013

4/4

To watch Rio Bravo is to see a master craftsman at work. The film is seamless. There is not a shot that is wrong. It is uncommonly absorbing, and the 141-minute running time flows past like running water.

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TIME Magazine

Apr 27, 2009

Wayne, of course, walks off with the show -- not by doing anything in particular, but simply by being what he is: at 51, still one of the most believable he-men in Hollywood.

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Moira Walsh

The Catholic World

Nov 28, 2023

In addition to its excessive length and consequent slow pace the film has other liabilities... Nevertheless the characterizations are unusually solid and get more interesting as they go along.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 10, 2023

4/4

A marvelous motion picture.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

Jul 21, 2023

It's pure romantic bliss that feels about as far away from a political statement as you could imagine.

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Spencer Nielsen

Jul 29, 2026

A crowd-pleasing western, that is also a procedural and a hangout movie featuring a wonderful ensemble headed by John Wayne. Howard Hawks’s direction is conspicuously strong here. It does run a bit long.

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Fred

Oct 24, 2024

It looked spectacular on the big screen. It's a wonderful film, with a great cast.

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steve

May 22, 2023

Great great movie!!! Everyone is wonderful and perfect for their roles.it’s also very funny 🤠🤠🤠

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bruce F

@bruce999 Aug 14, 2026

ok acting, nice drama, and a nice song, with ricky nelson, and dean.

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Bob Z

@theyazfan Jul 25, 2026

It was laughable when Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin started to sing during such a serious situation. John Wayne tripping on the staircase and going completely unconscious was a terrible scene. Walter Brennan played such an annoying character. I thought Dean Martin was outstanding.

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John S

@RT07700383 Apr 9, 2026

Just everything is fine in this beautiful western, having watched it and re-watched it so many times: acting, plot, characters, music (and not least the 'De Guello', played as a warning from the baddies to the goodies). Never get tired of it.

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Howard Hawks

Director

John Wayne

Sheriff John T. Chance

Dean Martin

Dude ("Borachón")

Ricky Nelson

Colorado Ryan

Angie Dickinson

Feathers

Walter Brennan

Stumpy

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Synopsis

When gunslinger Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) kills a man in a saloon, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) arrests him with the aid of the town drunk, Dude (Dean Martin). Before long, Burdette's brother, Nathan (John Russell), comes around, indicating that he's prepared to bust his brother out of jail if necessary. Chance decides to make a stand until reinforcements arrive, enlisting Dude, an old cripple named Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and baby-faced cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) to help.

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: B.H. McCampbell, Jules Furthman, Leigh Brackett
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Armada Pictures
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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