Rio Grande Review

Rio Grande
Having triumphed in the civil war, Union honcho Kirby Yorke (Wayne) turns his attentions to the native Apaches. His ex-wife (O'Hara) and his long-lost son (Jarman) get in the way of a fiersome battle, and Yorke's decision to stay and fight has him in line for a court martial, as well as endangering the two new loves of his life.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

15 Nov 1950

Running Time:

105 minutes

Certificate:

U

Original Title:

Rio Grande

The sixth of John Ford’s many epics starring John Wayne, this is not among the very best but Wayne is very good as the hard cavalryman renewing ties with his wife and the newly posted son he scarcely knows while fighting the Indians on the magnificent Southwestern prairies. Ford’s appreciation of landscapes and men of honour has never been richer and despite this starting out as a Western quickie to satisfy studio bosses before he could make The Quiet Man, it still has all of Ford’s trademarks, all his class, if not all of his attention. Essential viewing for Ford and Wayne fans, which shouldn’t leave too many viewers left over.

Sumptuous, skilful, but not as soulful as John Ford's classics, Rio Grande still soars above most Westerns.
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