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Rio Grande

Rio Grande

Western · 1950

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

Movie details

Rio Grande

“John Ford's Most Powerful Drama. The Breathtaking Saga of the United States Cavalry! The third installment of John Ford's trilogy...”

1950 Western 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Rio Grande?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.

Fort Apache

Fort Apache

Western · 1948

Owen Thursday sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, he attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.

Hombre

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John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.

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The Last Wagon

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Garden of Evil

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A trio of American adventurers marooned in rural Mexico are recruited by a beautiful woman to rescue her husband from Apaches.

Major Dundee

Major Dundee

Western · 1965

During the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Amos Dundee leads a contentious troop of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and scouts on an expedition into Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches who have been raiding U.S. bases in Texas.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Ford

Written by

James Kevin McGuinness

John Wayne

John Wayne

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke

Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara

Mrs. Kathleen Yorke

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson

Trooper Travis Tyree

Claude Jarman Jr.

Claude Jarman Jr.

Trooper Jefferson 'Jeff' Yorke

Harry Carey Jr.

Harry Carey Jr.

Trooper Daniel 'Sandy' Boone

Chill Wills

Chill Wills

Dr. Wilkins

J. Carrol Naish

J. Carrol Naish

Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan

Court is in session

Put Rio Grande on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Patience is part of the point.”

Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“A test of endurance, your honour.”

Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.