The Bottom Line: One of the best films ever made, Red River is essential for fans of Westerns, John Wayne, and Howard Hawks. A tense film that has action and memorable characters.
Officially, Red River was based on "The Chisholm Trail", a novel by Borden Chase that had been published in the Saturday Evening Post. Chase also collaborated on the script, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Motion Picture Story. The film's only other nomination went to Christian Nyby, who had the demanding task of incorporating reams of sound stage footage onto a western backdrop.
While Chase received due credit, the story has strong parallels with an older adventure epic, "Mutiny on the Bounty." As Tom Dunson, John Wayne becomes a tyrannical despot similar to Captain Bligh. Dunson's consensus oriented right hand man is adopted son Matthew Garth (Montgomery Clift, in his first film role). Much like Fletcher Christian, Garth strips him of command and forces him to stay behind. Dunson regroups, then follows the cattle drive. As the tension mounts, Dunson and Garth have a final confrontation.
Red River has one of the best running gags in any film. Cantankerous Wayne sidekick Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan) loses a half share in his dentures in a poker game with a shrewd Indian. He must return his false teeth after every meal, despite his protestations and humiliation. This secondary storyline provides excellent comic relief for an otherwise tense film.
The wonderful supporting cast includes John Ireland, who plays Garth's best friend (and potential rival). Harry Carey Junior and Senior have small but important roles. Veteran character actor Hank Worden has several memorable lines. Shelly Winters, whose career was about to blossom, has a cameo as a dance hall girl.
The line on Red River is that it is an outstanding film that is reduced in force by the commercial necessity of a happy ending. Purists are further outraged that manly John Wayne is cut down to size by a mere woman, who is not too convincingly portrayed by Joanne Dru. 'The Line' has become as carved in stone as the faces on Mount Rushmore, but unlike the ending, it doesn't stand up to analysis.
First of all, two minutes of film has little effect on its overall grade. Red River is still a masterpiece, even if you stop the DVD player at the appropriate moment and instead imagine the dead protagonist of your choice.
But the truth is, all three of the key characters in the final scene have strong motivations for their behavior. Garth is convinced that his adopted father will not shoot him in cold blood, especially since he has been vindicated by the successful drive. Dunson has to confront Garth to save face, but does not want to murder him, especially since this will surely prevent him from having a blood son of his own. He is looking for a way out.
Tess Millay has the strongest motivation of all, since becoming the wife of a cattle baron sure beats entertaining drunkards at a traveling sin palace. She had plenty of time to prepare her little speech while en route with Dunson.
The ending is a letdown only if our expectations have been shaped by endless westerns that end with the death of the villain. Red River has the right to carve its own myth, and without the needless slaughter of main characters.
Red River was the first of five films that director Howard Hawks would make with John Wayne. Four of these were westerns, the genre that most suited Wayne's commanding screen persona. While Red River cost three million dollars to make, a fortune in its era, it quickly recouped its costs in theaters. Perhaps more than any other individual movie, it was the film that made John Wayne one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history. (99/100)
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