Rio Bravo (Paperback, 2003 ed.)

After his brother is jailed, a land baron and his small army of hired killers threaten to overrun a town in Rio Bravo, Howard Hawks's superb Western from 1958. The only resistance comes from a ragbag group centred around Sheriff Chance (John Wayne): a washed-up deputy (Dean Martin), an itinerant gambler (Angie Dickinson), an ageing dispossessed farmer (Walter Brennan) and a fresh-faced gun for hire (Ricky Nelson). Together they make a stand. Rio Bravo forms a loose trilogy with Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and To Have and Have Not (1944), which treats key Hawks themes of self-respect and friendship with exquisite subtlety, comedy and tenderness. Rio Bravo, however, is the definitive rendition of these themes.
For Robin Wood, it may be the greatest American film, the epitome of the collaborative art of the studio system, characterised by marvellous performances from Hollywood legends and relative newcomers alike; and by Hawks's complete understanding of classical film-making techniques. Most importantly, Rio Bravo speaks to enduring human questions, finding value in life even when observing its hardship. 'Rio Bravo remains, ' Wood writes, 'beyond politics, as an argument as to why we should all want to go on living and fighting.'