Very disappointing...

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Released in 1950 and directed by John Ford, "Rio Grande" stars John Wayne as a cavalry officer posted near the Rio Grande where he must deal with Apaches who cross the border to raid and then escape back to the protection of Mexico. The situation is complicated by the arrival of his son, who enlisted after failing at West Point (Claude Jarman Jr.), not to mention the youth's mother, the officer's separated wife, who wants to take "Johnny" back home (Maureen O'Hara).How do you review an old Western like this when you can't stand B&W or old-fashioned scores and hokey antiquated songs, not to mention the incongruent campy elements and slapstick (non)humor Ford is known for? Basically you have to ignore all these factors and focus on the story and the actors. If you can do this, "Rio Grande" is worth checking out. Wayne was lean & mean at almost 43 (during shooting) and O'Hara was striking and curvy as ever at almost 30. It's also cool seeing Ben Johnson & Harry Carey Jr. when they were so young. Amazingly, the film utilizes real Native Americans for the cast and the movie gets extra points for this and their respected portrayal.The film runs 105 minutes and was shot in Utah (e.g. Monument Valley) and Kayenta, Arizona. The screenplay was written by James Kevin McGuinness from a story by James Warner Bellah.GRADE: B-

RIO GRANDE is a solid enough John Ford western, benefiting from crisp black and white photography and an action-orientated storyline that sees cavalry officer John Wayne going up against some murderous Apaches. There's a story of family drama at the heart of the movie which gives the characters life and more motivation than you sometimes see in this genre, and Maureen O'Hara holds her own against Wayne in her scenes with him. Ford can always be relied upon to shoot spectacle well and the narrative has a pretty fast pace which keeps it bubbling along nicely. I didn't mind the songs, either, which is unusual.

. . . Wayne's film career, once again sums up the primary aspect of his "Col. Kirby Yorke" character in John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy" Capper, RIO GRANDE. Yorke's son is described here as being "under-aged" as a military enlistee, meaning that he's 17, at most. Since he hasn't laid eyes on Dear Old Dad for at least 15 years, it's likely Daddy disappeared when it was his night to change diapers and offer the bottle. Yet at the end of RIO GRANDE Pops Yorke grudgingly admits from his litter that Junior turned out okay. The upshot of all of this seems to be that if you want your son to thrive, do NOT let him within a mile of any male "role model" remotely resembling John Wayne. This theme of father\son estrangement making the youngster's character grow stronger is borne out in picture after picture starring Mr. Wayne. But since American schools are carefully crafted to "dumb down" their students, the U.S. suffers from the Uncommon Sense that EVERY day is Opposite Day. Therefore, each time that there is a mass shooting, sales of the deranged killer's weapon-of-choice hit All-Time Highs. Similarly, despite director Ford's best efforts, a majority of America's Dads (during the 1900s, at least) strove harder "to be like John" each time they saw a Wayne flick!

The often prickly John Ford the foremost American film director of his generation was once quoted as having said "I'm John Ford, i make Westerns" and as a long time ageing fan of the gender i have enjoyed watching Ford westerns for many many years. By now they are old friends, that i love to revisit, the attractions are many and long from pure personal nostalgia to the joy of pure cinematic entertainment to the often stunning visuals and breathless beauty of the landscape photography or to enjoy a great old time film star at the top of his game. A Ford picture such as Rio Grande (1950) has all the above and most of director Ford's weaknesses in some abundance for Ford may of been a great director but he was a lazy one as well and this film as much as any shows most of the director's flaws. A penchant to ramble on at length for no good reason, heavy handed sentimentality with song interludes, action scenes set up's he had used and re-used before and scant regard for historical accuracy. So why do i repeatedly enjoy Rio Grande so much? Ford got the best out of John Wayne as he does so again, there is Maureen O'Hara Wayne's greatest ever co-star, Ford regulars include the great Victor Mclaglen and the under rated Ben Johnson. There is at least one terrific action scene, brilliant western themed visuals and a fabulous western score. O'Hara and Wayne burn up the scene in there scenes together in a film that is all about mythology and big men in action on the frontier. The real west was never like this and i know it, but i was introduced to westerns in the mid fifties when not everyone had a television set and the lone ranger for half an hour at a generous neighbour was the treat of the week. Rio Grande may not be quite premier division John Ford but for western fans such as me it has all the best pleasures in a timeless classic.