Red River (1948)
General exhibition
| Director: | Howard Hawks |
| Actors: | John Wayne, Paul Fix, John Ireland, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Harry Carey, Joanne Dru, Noah Beery, Colleen Gray |
One of the finest westerns ever made, this "monumental, sweeping and powerful" masterpiece (Variety) features impassioned performances, stunning cinematography and adventure on a grand scale. Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift (in his screen debut), Walter Brennan, Harry Carey, Sr and Noah Beery, Jr, Red River is a hard-hitting, action-packed adventure that captures the grandeur, majesty - and danger - of the wild American west. Wayne gives "one of the best performances of his career" (Cinebooks) as Tom Dunson, a self-made cattle baron who'll do anything to protect his way of life. So when plummeting livestock values demand that he drive his herd through the treacherous Chisholm Trail, Tom proves that he'll risk anything to reach his destination ... even his own sanity.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 133mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 1.33:1 Fullscreen |
If you like this, try these:
Member Reviews (14)
14 Member
Reviews
Chris K
says
John Wayne at his best could have been a true story I guess, the living was hard on the cattle drives and during drought, worth watching.
Clouseau
says
I enjoyed this movie, without it being great. If you like John Wayne, I recommend it.
Philip
says
Drawn out and over-rated by film critics, there are too many flaws in the plot for this movie to make any sense
Art S.
says
I'd pretty much avoided John Wayne (except Stagecoach and The Searchers) up until this point, primarily because of his personal politics. But Hawks made me give him a chance and it paid off. Audience identification with Wayne is pretty ambivalent here (as in The Searchers) which suits me fine (Monty Clift is the real hero) and the directorial flourishes (love those yee-haws!) really make the picture. Only the script falters in places.
Paz A.
says
Not my cup of tea. The characters are unbelievably violent and the plot equally unbelievable. I found I had no patience with characters whose only response to any situation was to shoot the opposition. I have outgrown cowboy movies.
Adriaan van Jaarsveldt
says
A great sweeping western, with many intertwined themes: the encroachment of civilisation, a classic struggle for supremacy between a young and an older man, a character who starts off as a hero and ends up the villain as he fails to adapt and recognise his own failings. The grand, sweeping themes are match by the scenery and the action, as John Wayne and Montgomery Clift, take 9,000 cattle on the first epic drive along the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Missouri. The film suffers none of the squeamishness of later westerns. Here men are men, Indians are vermin to be gunned down mercilessly and women play only a very minor part. This is one of Wayne’s more complex roles and he must have found it a challenge playing against the understated Clift, but he rises magnificently to the occasion and it is one of his best films.
Sacha S.
says
Lorraine G.
says
Very good western, lots of action, romanceand fun.
Ian G.
says
Fantastic movie, a classic (even though it is black & white). Strange to see John Wayne portrayed as a "bad man" instead of the hero...
Justin S.
says
beautifully crafted masterpiece from Hawks
Margaret C.
says
Really enjoyed it
Tab
says
This movie was a pretty fair one until it involved women. I think it was Joanne Dru through sheer bad acting sent this movie downhill at a hundred miles an hour. Glad she only appeared towards the end.
Eric Mudge
says
John Alsop
says
Great performance from Montogomery Cliff and John Wayne is unusually bearable.