--- title: "Rio Bravo: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rio-bravo/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/rio-bravo" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rio Bravo (1959): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are strongly favourable towards Rio Bravo, with praise clustering around its relaxed pace, humour and camaraderie rather than the frequency of its action. The reviews repeatedly value Howard Hawks’s attention to character: the central group’s warmth and ease give familiar Western conventions a humane quality. Its apparently rambling storytelling is generally treated as a strength, allowing comedy, quiet exchanges and violence to sit comfortably together. The spread is largely within favourable territory, and the differences concern emphasis more than substantial disagreement. Variety puts greater weight on the forceful story and accumulating suspense, while singling out Angie Dickinson’s performance. The Hollywood Reporter offers the most qualified assessment, but its reservations concern the remastered image rather than a clear objection to the film itself. That distinction matters here: the supplied reviews contain little sustained criticism of the leisurely pacing that so many of them praise. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. Ebert regards the film as an outstanding Western, valuing its relaxed, character-driven storytelling. He especially praises the camaraderie among the central characters. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rio-bravo-1959) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Thomas gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it faultless and funny. He singles out its warm atmosphere and memorable ensemble of characters over its widely spaced action. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rio-bravo-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Dennis Lim Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2007. Lim calls the film a masterpiece and perhaps Howard Hawks’s finest work. He praises how its humane spirit and richly drawn characters deepen familiar Western conventions. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-20-ca-bravo20-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2012. Brody presents the film as both a pinnacle of classic Western style and an unusually modern work. He praises how its lawmen’s relaxed elegance shapes the film’s distinctive blend of principled violence, comedy, and rawness. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-rio-bravo) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The review presents the film as arguably Howard Hawks’s greatest. It praises its deceptively rambling chamber-Western form, made in response to High Noon. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rio-bravo) ## The New York Times — Gabe Johnson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2010. A. O. Scott presents the film as an unusually entertaining Western. He praises its slow, quiet, wise pace as a welcome alternative to noisy summer entertainment. [Read the review](https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/critics-picks-video-rio-bravo/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2007. Mackie presents the documentary accompanying the DVD rerelease as a warm-hearted addition and celebrates the film as a western classic. He singles out Peter Bogdanovich’s entertaining recollections and impression of Walter Brennan. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/25/dvdreviews.actionandadventure) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1958. Variety finds the western forceful and entertaining, with a hard-hitting story that builds suspense. It praises Howard Hawks's handling of the narrative and Angie Dickinson's performance in a key role. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/rio-bravo-1200419337/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Glenn Abel Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 12 June 2007. Abel gives the Rio Bravo release a generally favorable assessment, with reservations about the remastered image. He praises the bonus documentary on Howard Hawks and the jam session featuring Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/hustler-true-grit-rio-bravo-159396/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rio-bravo.md