El Dorado

A gunfighter (John Wayne) and a half-Indian gambler (James Caan) sober up a sheriff (Robert Mitchum) and take on a corrupt rancher (Edward Asner).

El Dorado, at first glance, is simply a remake of director Howard Hawks and star John Wayne’s earlier collaboration, Rio Bravo, but that’s not entirely accurate. Sure, the basic plot’s the same, and the two films do share some similar characters, as well as the same screenwriter in Leigh Brackett, but a closer look shows El Dorado to be less of a remake and more of a remix.

The film starts earlier in the story than Rio Bravo, with Wayne and Robert Mitchum’s characters meeting before Mitchum hits the bottle. Their interactions here are the best, and help amplify Mitchum’s fall later in the film. A nice change.

Also, this time around, the kid, called Mississippi and played by James Caan, is significantly more three-dimensional, with a larger back-story and a more colorful personality, than his Rio Bravo equivalent, called Colorado and played by Ricky Nelson. This is easily the best change from Rio Bravo, as Caan’s character adds an unexpected bit of comedy to the story (love that shotgun!) while still holding his own opposite Wayne and Mitchum. Granted, he can’t sing, but that’s not that big of a loss.

However, not everything is a change for the better. Arthur Hunnicutt does a passable job standing in for Walter Brennan as the crotchety jail keeper, but he’s no Stumpy. Also, in El Dorado, Wayne’s character only “knows a girl” as opposed to having a girl in Rio Bravo. Thus, the great interactions between Wayne and Angie Dickenson are lost. While Caan’s character does help make up some of the comic relief, the film ultimately falls short in this respect. Further, the finale is somewhat of a let down, especially compared to Rio Bravo’s explosive conclusion.

Despite these shortcomings, El Dorado is nonetheless a great movie and worth a look. While it might not be Rio Bravo, it’s definitely cut from the same cloth.