Quentin Tarantino’s favorite and least favorite Westerns are part of John Wayne’sRio Bravotrilogy.Wayne madeRio Bravoas a response toHigh Noon, a classic Western that Wayne was personally offended by. He had plenty of issues with the film, but Wayne especially hated how Gary Cooper’s Marshal ran around town asking people for help.
Hence,Rio Bravosees Wayne’s Sheriff Chance fending off gunmen while holding a dangerous prisoner and without asking for help; in response, his misfit crew of deputies and the town itself rally around him. The movie is another classic from Wayne, whileJohn Carpenter has remadeRio BravotwiceasAssault on Precinct 13andGhosts of Mars.
Rio Bravohas also been cited many times by Quentin Tarantino as not only one of his favorite Westerns, but one of his favorite films, period. The influence it had on QT’s own work is obvious too, from the breezy conversational tone to the sudden, shocking bursts of violence.Compared to Tarantino’s work, however,Rio Bravois WAY less bloody.
Rio Bravo Is Quentin Tarantino’s Favorite Western
Rio Bravohas a pretty straightforward premise, but the special ingredient is how patient it is.TheJohn Wayne Westernhas shootouts and punch-ups aplenty, but what makes it so much fun is just hanging out with the castof characters. Director Howard Hawks never forgets about the ticking clock element, but he wants audiences to enjoy the characters too.
That’s part of why Tarantino adoresRio Bravoso much; it’s a great “hangout” movie.There are long scenes of Chance, his deputies Dude (Dean Martin) and Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and other characters just talking, and not always about the plot. The great dialogue by screenwriter Leigh Brackett makes these scenes just as compelling as the shootouts.
Tarantino has personal connections to Hawks' film, too. He once stated that as he grew up without a father, he looked toRio Bravoas a model for how men should behave and act with dignity and honor.
Tarantino even madeRio Bravointo a date movie. He revealed in aVanity Fairconversation the Wayne Western had become a test of sorts for new girlfriends, saying, “When I’m getting serious about a girl, I show her Rio Bravo and she better ****ing like it!”
How Rio Bravo Influenced Tarantino’s Work
The extra timeRio Bravotakes to develop its leads really helps, as it means getting to know their fears and flaws. The development means that when they are in danger, audiences care more. Tarantino borrowed this tactic in everything fromJackie BrowntoOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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Nearly all of his films feature long scenes of great actors just shooting the breeze with each other, from talking about pop culture to their inner demons.In keeping withRio Bravo’sformula, Tarantino’s dialogue scenes can be interrupted by sudden violence, such as the opening scene ofInglourious Basterds.
Sadly,QT has yet to helm a scene likeRio Bravo’s"My Rifle, My Pony and Me” sing-along, a divisive moment where Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson’s characters sing a duetwhile under siege inside the police station. It was a corny scene even way back in 1959, but it’s also an oddly endearing one.
Tarantino Disliked Rio Lobo So Much It Inspired His Early Retirement Plan
Much has been made of Tarantino’s plan to retire after making ten movies, which means he only has one film left afterOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood. Despite his immense love forRio Bravo,one of the key films that encouraged Tarantino to wrap up early wasRio Lobo, the third and final entry in Wayne’sunofficialRio Bravoseries.
This 1970 Western cast Wayne as a Union cavalry officer hunting down traitors who helped stage a train robbery, which leads him to the titular town.Rio Lobofeels a little tired and drab next toRio Bravo, and proved to be Howard Hawks' final film.
Even he didn’t think much of it, with Hawks once labelingRio Loboa “damn piece of junk.” Speaking withAmerican Cinematheque(viaDeep Glamour), Tarantino went into detail about why he wants to retire before his work becomes “corny,” and he wants to make a complete set of movies he can stand behind.
.. the most cutting-edge artist, the coolest guys, the hippest dudes, they’re the ones that stay at the party too long. They’re the ones that make those last two or three movies that are completely out of touch and do not realize the world has turned on them. And they have no idea how corny they are.
Tarantino then cited John Ford’sCheyenne AutumnandRio Loboas two key examples of movies made by filmmakers who should have stopped earlier. It’s easy to see Tarantino’s point;whileRio Lobois far from terrible, it doesn’t hold a flickering candle to Hawks' greatest works likeThe Big SleeporRed River.
Why The Rio Bravo Trilogy Is Unofficial
Wayne and Hawks clearly enjoyed makingRio Bravobecause with its “sequels,“El Dorado(1967) andRio Lobo(1970), they basically remade it. None of the three movies share returning characters or storylines, but they all feature Wayne as a stoic good guy finding himself in another siege scenario.
The two sequels remix the basic ingredients. For example, while James Caan’s character “Mississippi” fromEl Doradois a riff on Ricky Nelson’s gunslinger Colorado fromRio Bravo, Caan’s character is useless with guns but good with knives.Of the three,El Doradomight be the breeziest watch, while Wayne and Robert Mitchum spark off each other nicely.
Reportedly,when Wayne was toldRio Lobowas going to be another reworking ofRio Bravo,he passed on reading the script, joking that he’d made the movie twice already. So, while not an official franchise, Wayne and Hawks’Rio Bravotrilogy very much shares DNA between entries.
Rio Bravo
Cast
Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western film directed by Howard Hawks featuring John Wayne as the sheriff of a small town. The story follows his efforts alongside a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter to keep the brother of a local troublemaker incarcerated in the town jail.
Rio Lobo
Rio Lobo, directed by Howard Hawks, stars John Wayne as a former Union officer leading a search for the traitor who betrayed his unit during the Civil War. Alongside Jorge Rivero and Jennifer O’Neill, the quest takes them to Rio Lobo, a town under siege, where they confront the villain responsible for the betrayal. This film is the final installment in Hawks' trio of Westerns featuring Wayne.
