Río Rojo

The western is a peculiar genre in as much as it traditionally pits the white hats against the black hats. We can all relate to this and the genre translates well to almost any culture. What makes great westerns however (among other movie genres) is when the line is blurred between good and evil, when the hats aren't black or white but a shade of grey. So we come to John Wayne in one of his best ever roles. Sure he was entertaining in the comic westerns with Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum among others but prior to making these he gave some fine dramatic performances. He was certainly no Olivier but on the other hand I can't picture Olivier in a western. To each his own. Red River is a powerful action film with fine performances all round. There's a storyline we can all relate to, excellent camera work with some lasting imagery and a wonderful musical score. If I have to nit pick I could ask where Wayne came up with the money (after telling his men earlier he was broke)to hire the ten or so gunslingers who accompanied him in his pursuit of Montgomery Clift and the renegade crew. These men as it turned out took no part in the story's resolution and I can only wonder why they were in the film. The romantic sub plot looks more than a little contrived as does Wayne's last minute change of attitude towards Clift's character. Overall though, a must for fans of the genre and a must for fans of John Wayne.