Directed by Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo stars John Wayne as John T. Chance, sheriff of a small Texas town, Rio Bravo. He’s assigned to take custody of a murderer (Claude Akins) whose brother (John Russell), a powerful rancher, is plotting his escape. As part of this effort, he hires several gunmen to bottle up the town and keep the pressure on Chance. After all this, Chance and his deputies—disgraced drunk “Dude” (Dean Martin) and the irritable, crippled Stumpy (Walter Brennan)—must find a way to hold out against the rancher’s hired guns until the federal marshal arrives. To make matters worse, they must also deal with the appearance of a cool, cocky young gunslinger named Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), and a mysterious beauty (Angie Dickinson), who just might have feelings for the much older Sherriff.

The plot of Rio Bravo is hardly new, but it’s always been a favorite of mine. It’s the cast around John Wayne that makes Rio Bravo great. Dean Martin brings some of his rat pack swagger and wicked sense of humor to the table and Ricky Nelson is a pleasant surprise. Then a huge television star but untested on the big screen, the slight sense of insecurity he brings to the role, adds a nice edge to his supposedly cocky gunslinger. In a smaller role, Angie Dickinson is sexy and charming in feathers. John Wayne does a fine job in his role, but it’s not unlike many others.

Warner Brothers has delivered a stunning 4K transfer. While there are still instances of age-related softness, the details are amazing throughout. Rough facial features and Wayne’s worn coat and hat look wonderfully realistic. With a pleasing level of grain, the film has never looked this good. Being able to see the smallest of details is a welcome revelation. The included HDR has made the color palette shine, Devoid of any scratches or other blemishes, this transfer is easy to recommend.

This new DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track offers up significant dynamic range. Dialogue is clean, and clear throughout. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score sounds fuller than ever before. There are no audio blemishes to speak of.

English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Audio commentary with Critic Richard Schickel and Filmmaker John Carpenter: Both commentators break down the history and style of the film. Carpenter points out Hawks’s different approaches to visual storytelling for the camera throughout. Since these two men were recorded at different times and spliced together, that can make the track oddly chaotic in places, as the sound editor tries to pack in both of their relevant anecdotes simultaneously.