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Rio Bravo

Rio Bravo

Western · Drama · 1959

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Movie details

Rio Bravo

“They fought back to back... No quarter given... No quarter asked... No way in... No way out... of Rio Bravo!”

1959 Western · Drama 2h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.8 / 10

Community rating

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

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 Bravo?

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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Western · 1955

An ex-convict drifter and his flawed young partner are made sheriff and deputy of a Western town.

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From Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Wyatt Earp is taught that nothing matters more than family and the law. Joined by his brothers and Doc Holliday, Earp wages war on the dreaded Clanton and McLaury gangs.

Frontera

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Western · 2014

After crossing the border illegally for work, Miguel, a hard-working father and devoted husband, finds himself wrongfully accused of murdering a former sheriff’s wife. After learning of his imprisonment, Miguel’s pregnant wife tries to come to his aid and lands in the hands of corrupt coyotes who hold her for ransom. Dissatisfied with the police department’s investigation, the former sheriff tries to uncover the truth about his wife’s death and discovers disturbing evidence that will destroy one family’s future, or tear another’s apart.

Rancho Notorious

Rancho Notorious

Drama · 1952

A man in search of revenge infiltrates a ranch, hidden in an inhospitable region, where its owner, Altar Keane, gives shelter to outlaws fleeing from the law in exchange for a price.

High Noon

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A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.

3:10 to Yuma

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Western · 1957

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Lone Star

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Drama · 1996

When the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.

Open Range

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Western · 2003

A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Howard Hawks

Written by

Jules Furthman · Leigh Brackett

John Wayne

John Wayne

Sheriff John T. Chance

Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Dude

Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson

Colorado Ryan

Angie Dickinson

Angie Dickinson

Feathers

Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan

Stumpy

Ward Bond

Ward Bond

Pat Wheeler

John Russell

John Russell

Nathan Burdette

Court is in session

Put Rio Bravo on trial.

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

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.