John Wayne plays an aging gunman in the lawless west, who must aid a drunkard in the capture of an outlaw, as they capture their criminal in a jail cell and must protect him from his posse so that he can face justice, all while Wayne fights off a previous lover.
Oh wait, my bad. That's the plot synopsis for Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo." Here's the details on Howard Hawks' "El Dorado."
John Wayne plays an aging gunman in the lawless west, who must aid a drunkard in the capture of an outlaw, as they capture their criminal in a jail cell and must protect him from his posse so that he can face justice, all while Wayne fights off a previous lover.
...Wait.
Yeah, right away I began to notice a lot of similarities between "El Dorado" and "Rio Bravo," especially in terms of plot and story. Although "El Dorado" adds in new characters, including a family that is caught in the middle of this feud, and the outlaw being a business man planning to buy out all the water in the area, instead of a loose-cannon gunman.
But where the two differ is in their tone and atmosphere, as well as the acting. Outside of the comedic scenes between John Wayne and his ex-lover, "Rio Bravo" took itself very seriously, like the whole state of Texas was on the line if they failed their mission to bring this criminal in to face justice. The film reminded me a lot of another Howard Hawks western, "Red River," with its somber yet meticulous pacing where dread and terror could be around any corner.
"El Dorado" on the other hand never takes itself too seriously, with Wayne having a lot more time for banter among his buddies, including the druken sherriff (Robert Mitchum) and a skilled knife marksman (James Caan). The pace is far more leisurely, taking its time to build things up and often going off to do things that don't have an immediate payoff, like an injury that Wayne sustains early on, or the way that Wayne and Caan's characters meet out of the blue. This makes "El Dorado" far more pleasant to sit through than "Rio Bravo" and offers a lot more that made me smile, especially through humor and simple conversations.
"El Dorado" also gets bonus points for having some better performances than "Rio Bravo," namely from Robert Mitchum. His character goes through many different shades, from patient sherriff with wit, to a drunk man who has nothing to lose, to a old man looking to redeem himself, and Mitchum makes each of these sides feel like one whole man, filled to the brim with successes and failures. While "Rio Bravo" had Dean Martin as its drunk gunman, who nailed the humor and banter with Wayne, Mitchum nailed the tragedy of this character and poured on the sympathy.
But the biggest reason I take "El Dorado" is because there was no petty scuabbling between Wayne and his ex-lover like in "Rio Bravo," which was so irritating and insufferable that it almost made me want to turn off the movie. Instead, "El Dorado" was a supportive, almost motherly figure with Maudie (Charlene Holt), who isn't afraid to snap back at Wayne but knows that she cannot change his mind.
Overall, while "Rio Bravo" and "El Dorado" have their share of similarites, the two certainly set about it in different ways. One is a darker, tense tale of redemption and justice, while the other is a more pleasant, humorous romp about making things right. They're both great movies in their own right, certainly worth checking out if you're in the mood for a classic western. It is hard to go wrong with Howard Hawks directing John Wayne.
Final Grade: A-
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