The forever-superior answer to High Noon

“Purple light in the canyon, that’s where I long to be, with my three good companions, just my rifle, pony, and me”.

A jab John Wayne once famously poked took place after his seeing of the Western, High Noon, where he declared it to be the most, “unamerican thing”, he had ever seen in his life. I love John Wayne but I’ve always found this statement to be such a hilarious reach, but without such a declaration then the forever-superior Rio Bravo probably wouldn’t exist, for this was apparently both his and Howard Hawks’ rebuttal to everything High Noon had to say about standing your ground and defending your land without the assistance the lone Gary Cooper for High Noon’s entire duration seeks. It really is a testament to how legendary this film is when 85% of it is really just conversations and hanging out, because it so unbelievably nonchalantly entertaining all the way through. So much life and personality flows through each of the characters, and they all truly do feel like your friends that would for sure back you with their loyalty in every step of the way if you yourself were in trouble, which is perfectly proved with the character of The Dude and his struggles with both depression and alcoholism. The classic scene of John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan chilling in the Sheriff station singing together truly reinforces the impression that these characters leave, and will continue to leave even when you’re not watching the film. Rio Bravo is just an unbelievably charming fun time all the way through.