In Rio Bravo (1959), John Wayne played Sheriff John T. Chance, a lawman holding a murderer in jail while waiting for a marshal, as the prisoner’s powerful brother tries to free him. Directed by Howard Hawks, the film follows Chance as he relies on a drunken deputy, played by Dean Martin, a young gunfighter, played by Ricky Nelson, and a gambler, played by Angie Dickinson.
Wayne gave Chance quiet, unshakeable authority. He was a sheriff who did his job without asking for help, and whose friendship with his flawed deputies gave the film its heart. Rio Bravo was made partly as a response to High Noon, presenting a sheriff who stands his ground with friends beside him.
Rio Bravo remains a signature Wayne role because Chance was the ideal Wayne sheriff: brave, loyal and calm under pressure, in a western that still feels like a perfect evening at the cinema.