Rio Lobo

John Wayne's stretch of films between True Grit and The Shootist is a pretty grim sight, The Cowboys notwithstanding. Exhibit A is Rio Lobo (1970), his final collaboration with Howard Hawks. Even Jacques Rivette would have a hard time defending this film, a mediocre rehash of previous Wayne glories.

During the Civil War, Union Colonel Cord McNally (John Wayne) sees a gold shipment robbed by Confederate partisans led by Captain Cordona (Jorge Rivero) and Sergeant Tuscarora (Christopher Mitchum). When the war ends, McNally runs into his old adversaries and learns that the robbery was set up by a traitor amongst McNally's ranks. McNally's quest for vengeance leads to the scummy border town of Rio Lobo, where his old adversary (Victor French) and a crooked Sheriff (Mike Henry) run the town as a private fiefdom. McNally teams up with the ex-Rebels, feisty girl Shasta (Jennifer O'Neill) and a grouchy old coot (Jack Elam) to set things right.

Lazy is the perfect word for Rio Lobo. After a creative curtain-raising train robbery, the film's plot drifts all over the place and never amounts to anything remotely interesting. Unable to generate much narrative interest, Hawks falls back on a rerun of Rio Bravo and El Dorado for the last half-hour. The Duke who shunned help in Rio Bravo enlists a gaggle of townspeople for the final showdown, but that's the only fresh wrinkle in a hopelessly derivative Western.

John Wayne is always a pleasure to watch, but he's let down a lousy supporting cast. Jorge Rivero (Soldier Blue) and Chris Mitchum are uncharismatic losers who aren't fit to hold the Duke's jockstrap. Love interest Jennifer O'Neill's acting talent sure doesn't match her looks, and villains Mike Henry and Victor French are as threatening as neutered poodles. The lone bright spot is Jack Elam (Once Upon a Time in the West) in the Walter Brennan/Arthur Hunnicut role as Wayne's grouchy sidekick.

Rio Lobo is overwhelmingly mediocre. It's not painful to watch, but even the most hardcore Duke fans won't find much of interest.