Howard Hawks basically remakes Rio Bravo and invites John Wayne to the party again. Wayne is the veteran professional gunman, Cole Thornton who turns down a rich rancher as the drunken sheriff in town, Robert Mitchum is an old buddy who has taken to drink.
When the rich rancher hires another gunman, Cole, Sheriff Harrah, his deputy and hot headed young cardsharp, Mississippi (James Caan) band together to stop the wealthy rancher bullying the poor ranchers over the water rights. However they might not be a match to the rich rancher's posse. The rancher having been jailed by the Sheriff, his men are out to spring him.
Mitchum is a drunk, his deputy is too old, Mississippi is to inexperienced and volatile, Cole has a bullet lodged near his spine.
The film is not as good as Rio Bravo although this is slightly shorter and in some ways the casting is better. Caan is a better actor than Ricky Nelson for example.
Hawks does place an in joke against the rising new wave of French cinema where the Sheriff shoots a piano and not the piano player. However the film is hokey and looks old fashioned given it was made in 1967 and movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hovering ahead.
When the rich rancher hires another gunman, Cole, Sheriff Harrah, his deputy and hot headed young cardsharp, Mississippi (James Caan) band together to stop the wealthy rancher bullying the poor ranchers over the water rights. However they might not be a match to the rich rancher's posse. The rancher having been jailed by the Sheriff, his men are out to spring him.
Mitchum is a drunk, his deputy is too old, Mississippi is to inexperienced and volatile, Cole has a bullet lodged near his spine.
The film is not as good as Rio Bravo although this is slightly shorter and in some ways the casting is better. Caan is a better actor than Ricky Nelson for example.
Hawks does place an in joke against the rising new wave of French cinema where the Sheriff shoots a piano and not the piano player. However the film is hokey and looks old fashioned given it was made in 1967 and movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hovering ahead.