In 1970's Rio Lobo, legendary actor John Wayne teamed up with director Howard Hawks for their fifth, and final, collaboration. Taking place during the tail end of the Civil War and soon afterwards, Rio Lobo gives us an easy-going Wayne as Col. Cord McNally, who is dedicated to fighting the Confederacy, but who also doesn't hold a grudge against the "Johnny Reb" soldiers who fought on the other side. Treason, on the other hand, definitely rubs the colonel the wrong way, and a train robbery that could only have been done with inside information gives McNally something to investigate.

The highlight of the entire film is definitely the first half hour, which showcases a spectacular and inventive train robbery followed by an exciting getaway and pursuit. After that, the story slows down to a meandering pace, with the plot's apparent direction shifting several times over the course of the film. The thread that connects the opening sequence and characters with later events is the traitor who sold information on the train schedules to the robbers. As it turns out, this fellow is responsible for a variety of other misdeeds, so McNally's quest for justice ends up being more involved than he originally planned.

Rio Lobo has an laid-back feel to it; the actors all seem to be enjoying themselves, with Wayne in particular appearing to relish his role as the older, "comfortable" character who is willing to take on a more fatherly role and let the younger characters like Frenchy (Jorge Rivero) and Tuscarora (Christopher Mitchum) take on the daredevil action and woo the female co-stars, notably an adventurous young woman called Shasta (Jennifer O'Neill). I do think that the film would probably have benefited from being a bit more tightly constructed and faster-paced, if only to remind us that the film does have a plot rather than just being a series of picaresque episodes in the Old West of the Civil War era.

On the whole, Rio Lobo is a fun movie to watch, and certainly one that fans of John Wayne will enjoy. The story, though somewhat meandering, does take a different road than the stereotypical "cowboys and Indians" or "gunfighters" Western plot, with its tale of treachery both during and after the Civil War, and its characters from both the "Rebel" and "Yankee" sides of the conflict.

One curious thing that I noticed is that Rio Lobo's G rating is quite misleading, in this case: with the amount of violence in the film, I would think it ought to be PG or PG-13. Not only do we get a lot of shootouts, but we actually see characters getting murdered, including one rather graphic scene where a man is repeatedly shot (and we see the bloody bullet holes appearing) and another where a character is shot and killed at point-blank range. There are also a few other scenes that could give the willies to a younger viewer, like one where a man gets burning oil splashed on his legs and actually catches fire for a bit. On the other hand, there is no sex and absolutely no nudity, which the MPAA seems to regard as worse for young viewers than murder and other assorted violence... I bet if a single innocent naked breast had appeared, Rio Lobo would have had a PG or R rating slapped on it faster than you could say "Saddle up!" In any case, it's reasonable family fare but I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids to watch unattended.

The DVD

Video

The anamorphic widescreen transfer, at its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, offers a respectable viewing experience. The print appears to be in worse condition at the beginning than later in the film, as there is a moderate amount of noise present at first, along with a faint brownish tinge. Fortunately, this clears up fairly soon, and the rest of the film looks quite good, with almost no noise. Colors look fairly subdued, but this is in part due to the unassuming color schemes used in the film. Rio Lobo appears to be part of a backlash against the "Hurrah for Technicolor!" style of bold primary colors of the 1960s: pastels are the going thing here. Some edge enhancement is visible, but it's not too noticeable; overall it looks good.

Audio

The soundtrack is available in either a Dolby 5.1 or a Dolby 2.0 track. The Dolby 5.1 actually does offer some respectable surround experiences when it counts: several scenes, such as ones involving the train, do a very nice job of creating an audio environment all around the viewer. Dialogue tends to be focused in the center channel, but it's always clear and easy to understand. The musical score offers a pleasing and interesting-sounding accompaniment to the action, and is well balanced with the other elements of the track.

A French mono soundtrack is also available, as are English subtitles.

Extras

There are no special features on this DVD. The menu is nicely done and easy to navigate, at least.

Final thoughts

Rio Lobo offers a decent two hours of entertainment, though the high point of the film does fall in its first half hour, with a fantastic train robbery sequence. After that, it's watchable fare but not something that has a lot of repeat viewing value, which is why it would make a perfect rental. Fans of John Wayne's films will be pleased to know that the anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite solid, making this a reasonable purchase for those who already know and like the film.