Rio Lobo

A gold shipment is robbed during the Civil War, and Colonel McNally, a Union officer, keeps hunting the man who gave it away from inside even after the war ends. The trail leads to the town of Rio Lobo, where he finds himself on the same side as his old enemies. Howard Hawks made this approaching eighty and it was his last film; the structure comes directly from his own Rio Bravo, and this is in fact the third time he used it. John Wayne leads. It sits behind the first two, with a looser rhythm and a weaker supporting cast. It remains a good demonstration of how the old-style western is assembled. Jerry Goldsmith's score is the liveliest element. Who it is for: viewers who like classic westerns and John Wayne. Who it is not for: anyone wanting novelty, since this is the third pass at the same shape.