“Rio Bravo” is a brilliant old-style western, with John Wayne effectively playing himself as usual, but doing it with panache as ever. Co-character Stumpy is perhaps the star of the film, his hillbilly rants making for some funny scenes. The film builds in tension very effectively before things all erupt at the end. The closing shootout is well paced and enjoyable, Wayne's shotgun seeing plenty of action. The film is certainly dated, but is still fun to watch. The Spaghetti westerns of the 60s make it look tame, but viewed on its own merits its a fine film. Wayne has an undeniable screen presence, he really is an A-lister, and much better than today's dull offerings. Rio Bravo ranks alongside the Shootist as his premier movie, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in cinema.

In my opinion this film is a greatly entertaining Western. Rio Bravo is wonderfully shot and acted, but it feels a bit like Hawks was running on empty creatively, as he actually remade this film yet again a few years later.

A decent western with an interesting story to begin with, the high-quality cast and enjoyable characters make "Rio Bravo" more than just a good western. The main "good guy" characters are a nice mix of personalities, and they are easy to pull for. It also doesn't hurt to have a gifted storyteller like Howard Hawks in command of it all.

It is probably one of the best western of all time. The essence of the West, it nomenclature and very existence is extremely well produced here. John Wayne in his mettle, ageing but still the hero. Martin and Rick Nelson surprisingly give competent performances. Walter Brennen excellent. The film is so well acted the main characters seem like a close knitted family. The same can be said for the Burdette clan. The sets are convincing and well chosen. The weak point is the casting of Angie Dickinson, although she acted well. She is simply too young for Wayne. The long feminine vanities slow down the film and are out of place with a harsh environment. An older woman would have added more realism. The climax is tremendous with Wayne again in the apex. Worth seeing again and again.

The movie has charismatic performances from Wayne and especially Walter Brennan as the old deputy. He made us laugh out loud several times. True it isn't all action, but more about characters. Ricky Nelson did okay, no Oscars here but a competent enough piece of acting as a young, brash cowboy.