Red River - Movie Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

John Wayne stars in one of his most acclaimed films, Red River, opposite a young Montgomery Clift. Wayne is the tormenting rancher, driving his 9,000 head of cattle to Missouri to avoid bankruptcy; Clift is his adopted son, who grows increasingly antagonistic against dad's slave driving. Eventually, the cattle drive approaches a situation of mutiny, pitting father and son against one another.

Filled with beautiful black and white photography, especially for its era, Red River is an atmospheric ride a la Unforgiven, where it's hard to find a white-hat hero and a sense of dread surrounds the proceedings. Unfortunately, the film is hampered by a lame hoedown score, typical of 1940s Westerns, not to mention an atrocious "happy" ending that belies the emotion in the rest of the picture.

Based on the book The Chisholm Trail.

Facts and Figures

Year: 1948

Run time: 133 mins

In Theaters: Friday 17th September 1948

Budget: $3M

Distributed by: MGM Home Entertainment

Production compaines: United Artists, Monterey Productions, Charles K. Feldman Group

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Fresh: 24

IMDB: 7.8 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson

Producer: Howard Hawks

Screenwriter: Borden Chase, Charles Schnee

Starring: John Wayne as Thomas Dunson, Montgomery Clift as Matthew 'Matt' Garth, Joanne Dru as Tess Millay, Walter Brennan as 'Groot' Nadine, Coleen Gray as Fen, Harry Carey as Mr. Melville, John Ireland as Cherry Valance, Noah Beery, Jr. as Buster McGee, Harry Carey, Jr. as Dan Latimer, Chief Yowlachie as Quo, Paul Fix as Teeler Yacey, Hank Worden as Simms Reeves, Mickey Kuhn as Matt, as a boy, Ray Hyke as Walt Jergens, Hal Taliaferro as Old Leather

Also starring: Howard Hawks, Borden Chase, Charles Schnee