Rio Bravo [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson

Release Date: August 1, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis:

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Please Note: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

The beloved western classic ‘Rio Bravo’ tells the story of a determined local sheriff who sends his town into chaos when he arrests the brother of the local baddie for murder. With the prisoner’s brother holding sway over far too much of the townspeople, the arrest and refusal to let him go quickly leads to attacks on the prison and all out affront on the local lawmen and anyone willing to assist them. Shorthanded and unwilling to give up his one true chance at taking down this villain, the sheriff enlists the help of a local drunk and a talented young man traveling through to join himself and the old man working with him to try and hold off the threats long enough for the U.S. Marshall in charge of claiming the prisoner to arrive.

The acclaimed western classic ‘Rio Bravo’ was directed by Howard Hawks from a screenplay written by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett, based on the short story “Rio Bravo” by B.H. McCampbell, and Hawks does a tremendous job guiding along the iconic tale with heart and vigor. The film also benefits tremendously from a star-studded cast that includes John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan and Ward Bond who each contribute notably in their own way and surely helped to make this one become the beloved masterpiece that it is.

‘Rio Bravo’ was first released in 1959 and hasn’t lost any of its praise, acclaim or love in over half of a century since, and it’s really no surprise that this marvelous cinematic gem is still held in such high acclaim. Even for someone such as me that wasn’t born for a couple decades after its initial release, ‘Rio Bravo’ has no trouble whatsoever delivering a thrilling and unforgettable time that while perhaps dated in many aspects never feels worn or looks the slightest bit silly all of these decades later (and only looks that much more magnificent in 4K, but we’ll get more into that below) and never loses its way or becomes even moderately dull throughout its 140 minute runtime. It’s a beautifully crafted western that has everything folks could hope for from John Wayne at his finest to some exciting action, a blooming romance and plenty of clever quips and lines along the way. ‘Rio Bravo’ is still a masterpiece and one that I would wholeheartedly encourage going out of your way to check out if you’ve never had the pleasure.

As part of Warner’s ongoing year-long centennial celebration, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment brings ‘Rio Bravo’ home for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD. The new physical 4K UHD release delivers a consistently impressive Ultra High Definition video presentation with HDR-10 that looks gorgeous from start to finish and is further boosted by a fully capable dual mono DTS-HD MA soundtrack that together offers what is surely the best video and audio quality that this unforgettable western gem has ever been available in. While the video and audio presentations certainly don’t disappoint, many folks may still be understandably disappointed by the absence of a Blu-ray disc as well as any of the previously released extras with the exception of an Audio Commentary track. Yet, for those of you that are fans of the film and are entirely content with physically owning the film itself in quite spectacular 4K quality and don’t mind the lack of extras or a Blu-ray disc, then this new 4K UHD release definitely shouldn’t disappoint and is recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Rio Bravo’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10 presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks rather spectacular as a whole and delivers a sharp, smooth and splendidly filmic presentation from start to finish that may look noticeably sharper and more pristine in some shots compared to others but never suffers from any notable glitches or problems to be uncovered along the way. It shows solid detail and clarity in nearly every department from facial stubble and sweat to clothing and streets, as well as saloon interiors and much more which all look outstanding for the most part. The HDR-10 addition also does a nice job of contributing a pretty nice color palette to this Technicolor gem that stands out in clothing, background elements and various other areas along the way. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition video presentation that brings the iconic western home looking better than ever and it should more than please fans of the film.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 2.0 split mono DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless soundtrack provides a crisp, clean and altogether well balanced audio presentation throughout that shouldn’t elicit any complaints. The dual-mono presentation does a great job of balancing the various audio elements within and delivers all of the dialogue, action and music, along with everything else sounding clean and sharp, while always making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously with one another never causes one element to overtake another and keeps everything sounding clean and fully audible every step of the way. Overall, this is a very nice 2.0 dual mono DTS-HD MA soundtrack that holds up great throughout and shouldn’t have any trouble pleasing the fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Rio Bravo’ doesn’t include much of the way in extras, solely featuring an ‘Audio Commentary by John Carpenter and Richard Schickel’.

*Please note: The above images are taken from the Digital/Streaming release of the film and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above images were utilized. All content and images from the film are the property of Warner Bros. Discovery and any other respective owners.

–

Disc Rating: 6.5/10

–

‘Rio Bravo’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD & Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

–

*Screen-Connections.com is an Amazon Associate that earns from qualifying purchases