Rio Lobo (1970)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Leigh Brackett (screenplay)
Burton Wohl (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Western | Romance | War

Tagline:

Give 'Em Hell, John.

Plot:

After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose perfidy caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Texas | Traitor | Colonel | Civil War

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. Cord McNally
Jorge Rivero	...	Capt. Pierre Cordona aka Frenchy
Jennifer O'Neill	...	Shasta Delaney
Jack Elam	...	Phillips
Christopher Mitchum	...	Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips
Victor French	...	Ketcham (boss of Rio Lobo)
Susana Dosamantes	...	Maria Carmen (Tuscarora's girlfriend)
Sherry Lansing	...	Amelita
David Huddleston	...	Dr. Ivor Jones (Rio Lobo dentist)
Mike Henry	...	Rio Lobo Sheriff 'Blue Tom' Hendricks
Bill Williams	...	Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
Jim Davis	...	Rio Lobo Deputy
Dean Smith	...	L / Cpl. Bide
Robert Donner	...	Whitey Carter (Rio Lobo deputy)
George Plimpton	...	4th Gunman

Also Known As:

San Timoteo

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (new rating) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G | Australia:M | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

Jack Elam, playing the "Old Man", was more than a decade younger than John Wayne.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When McNally and his companions arrive at Phillips's farm, Phillips walks to the window saying a phrase without moves his lips.

Quotes:

[Col. McNally provides Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips with money to return home]
Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips: [delighted] Colonel suh, I never thought I'd feel like kissin' a *Yankee!*

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Daria: Camp Fear (#5.4)" (2001)

Big disappointment

Being the John Wayne/Howard Hawks fan that I am, I expected great things from "Rio Lobo." Unfortunately, it's one of the Duke's weakest efforts. Howard Hawks has a style all of his own, but none of it is in evidence here. As a matter of fact, the one thing this picture reminds me of is those cheesy A.C. Lyles westerns from the '60s, which were made cheap and loaded with familiar faces like Rory Calhoun, Howard Keel, Rod Cameron, etc.

The biggest problem in this film is the performances of the younger cast members. Jennifer O'Neill is ravishingly beautiful but can't act her way out of a paper bag. Her scenes with Rivero are among the most embarrassing on record. Rivero has trouble with English and seems to be reciting his lines phonetically; O'Neill doesn't seem to have the slightest idea of what she is doing. She steps on other actors' lines, forgets hers, misses cues, and is a pretty good argument for models not being paid for opening their mouths. Future studio head Sherry Lansing has a small part as a Mexican girl who ges beaten up by bad sheriff Mike Henry; she was a much better studio head than an actress. It's up to the old pros like Wayne, Bill Williams, Jim Davis, Victor French and especially David Huddlestson as a frontier dentist to give this picture some semblance of professionalism, performance-wise. Jack Elam as an ornery old codger gives an over-the-top performance that is nevertheless fun to watch. Mike Henry is quite good as a sadistic, crooked sheriff. Yakima Canutt staged the rousing action scenes with his usual flair, and there's a good Jerry Goldsmith score. Unfortunately, however, the trite script and the incompetent performances are obstacles that neither Hawks nor Wayne can overcome. O'Neill has a line early in the film that pretty much sums up her performance: "I'm acting like an idiot, aren't I?"

Yup.