Red River (1948) Review

Title: Red River
Year: 1948
Director: Howard Hawks
Country: US
Language: English

In his day, Howard Hawks' directorial talent was taken for granted. It wasn't until the 1950's, when Cahiers du cinema critics championed his style, was his filmography during the Golden Age of Hollywood looked upon as a series of masterpieces. Hawks was a versatile director who could do everything from Gangster (Scarface) to Screwball Comedy (Bringing Up Baby) to Western (Red River). 

Dunson (John Wayne) leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son (Montgomery Clift).

Red River is a Western that feels like an ancient epic. It's extraordinary in scope, and it feels like one of those films you can look at & proudly say "they don't make em' like they used to." Hawks' vivid adventure is as focused on spectacle as it is with human relationships. 

The cinematography, score and costuming add to the action-packed atmosphere. The story is fairly simple and direct, but the complex characters and their interactions will have you glued to the screen. We like to attribute Westerns as a masculine genre, but Red River dissects toxic masculinity and encourages us to have more empathy. 

Red River did have some faults. I found the ending to be a bit anti-climatic & at times the pacing felt like to slowed to a crawl. The hetero romance wasn't well established. Overall I thought it was an ambitious picture that was incredibly well-made.