Rio Bravo

Underrated at the time of its release, this majestically paced western is one of the finest achievements of the genre. It stands as a career high point for many of its participants, and the simplistic plot - sheriff John Wayne and a motley group of helpers stand firm against a ruthless land baron - masks a work of depth and artistry. Originally intended by director Howard Hawks as a riposte to the liberal High Noon, the movie boasts a class and quality that owe little to what had gone before, save some dialogue lifted from Hawks's earlier To Have and Have Not. It's a definitive study of male camaraderie, particularly in the wordless opening sequence as Wayne attempts to preserve the drunken Dean Martin's dignity. The casting is perfect (if you believe Ricky Nelson as a gunslinger) and the sense of fun contagious. Superb Technicolor photography and a Dmitri Tiomkin score provide the icing on a very impressive cake.