Rio Bravo
Dir: Howard Hawks
1959
****
Classic western. A bit long and not particularly well structured but it's entertaining enough for either to be a problem. John Wayne is John Wayne, if you like him (as I do) then you will love this film. Dean Martin is great as the recovering alcoholic (beer doesn't seem to count as alcohol in the old west for some reason) and both Ricky Nelson and Angie Dickinson are good in their supporting roles, although I preferred it when Nelson wasn't singing. Walter Brennan's Stumpy is the real attraction though, say what you want about Hawks's direction, Wayne's performance and Martin's real alcoholism, Rio Bravo is all about Stumpy.