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Rio Lobo

Play trailer Poster for Rio Lobo G,  1970,  1h 54m,  Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 81% 21 Reviews Tomatometer 71% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Union leader Cord McNally is protecting a routine gold shipment when his troops are attacked by Confederate forces. Not only does he lose the gold, but one of his strongest officers is killed in the raid. At the end of the Civil War, McNally learns that the raiders had help from the inside, and he vows to uncover the two traitors. After a chance encounter with one of the turncoats, McNally travels to the town of Rio Lobo and makes an unexpected discovery.
Rio Lobo

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Howard Hawks and John Wayne reunite to riff on their own Rio Bravo, and while the results are less memorable the movie does offer a curiously cynical perspective.

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Critics Reviews

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Jay Cocks TIME Magazine May 23, 2011
The Duke knows by instinct what audiences accept without question: whatever he may be called in the script, he is always unmistakably John Wayne. And who would have it any other way? Go to Full Review
Geoff Andrew Time Out Jun 24, 2006
If it lacks the formal perfection of Rio Bravo and the moving elegy for men grown old of El Dorado, it's still a marvellous film. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Oct 23, 2004
3/4
In this case, the story itself doesn't matter much. We go to a classic John Wayne Western not to see anything new, but to see the old done again, done well. Go to Full Review
M.V. Moorhead Less Hat, Moorhead Jul 6, 2026
Wayne is at his most likable and the movie is full of terrific, reliable supporting players including. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy May 30, 2021
3/4
Pleasant and perfectly acceptable. Go to Full Review
John J. Puccio Movie Metropolis Jul 11, 2011
5/10
...it appears both the Duke and Hawks sort of walked through this one. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Harry W Sep 27, 2018 Last of the Hawks trilogy. Entertaining, if somewhat unbelievable, story. But this Hawks and Wayne - a duo that was for th most part unbeatable! See more
Theodore S Feb 20, 2018 I know my opinion may not be universal, but when I watch a film as predictable and surprisingly all around bad as this, the first thought that comes to my mind is that if, not even The Duke can save a movie than it must really be bad. See more
Leia R Apr 24, 2017 After the Civil War, a Union colonel hunts for the traitors that provided information to the south for a series of payroll heists. He is helped by a couple of confederates he befriended during the war, who lead him to a town threatened by a corrupt, would-be boss. Howard Hawks' last film and it has similarities to his earlier westerns, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. The production values are lower and the cast outside John Wayne and Jack Elam is a little wobbly, but the movie is entertaining and achieves a similar relaxed and friendly vibe. See more
Theodore L Aug 2, 2008 The film is more interesting in the second half. John Wayne plays a Union Army Colonel who loses a friend and gold shipment at the end of the Civil War. He seeks revenge on the one who fed information to the Confederates, bringing along a female who is being chased by a corrupt Sheriff and his deputies, in a land stealing plot. This is the meat of the film, when the villain is revealed and stakes are put down. I wasn't very interested, as the film is very generic with not too much flavour. See more
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Rio Lobo

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis Union leader Cord McNally is protecting a routine gold shipment when his troops are attacked by Confederate forces. Not only does he lose the gold, but one of his strongest officers is killed in the raid. At the end of the Civil War, McNally learns that the raiders had help from the inside, and he vows to uncover the two traitors. After a chance encounter with one of the turncoats, McNally travels to the town of Rio Lobo and makes an unexpected discovery.
Director
Howard Hawks
Producer
Howard Hawks
Screenwriter
Leigh Brackett, Burton Wohl
Distributor
National General Pictures, Cine Classics, CBS/Fox, Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Malabar, Cinema Center Films, Batjac Productions
Rating
G
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 1970, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 18, 2017
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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