Red River Movie Review

Red River (1948)

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Written by: Borden Chase and Charles Schnee (screenplay), Borden Chase (from "The Saturday Evening Post" story)
Directed by: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson (co-director)
Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan
Rated: NR (
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Plot
John Wayne is Thomas Dunson, leading a cattle drive that is the culmination of fourteen years of work to its destination in Missouri. His tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son who was orphaned after a raid as boy.

Verdict
It's a bit dated and longer than it should be, but there's something about John Wayne in this rivalry between a father and son. Wayne plays a bit of a villain, but you get why. This is his last ditch effort to sell off the cattle he's worked for his entire life. If he fails, his future is over. It's a grueling journey as right stands up to wrong.
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Review
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Dunson has worked his whole life to build up the herd of cattle he has, but due to the civil war his cattle are worthless. He's got one last bid to save everything he's worked for and drive the cattle from Texas to Missouri. He promises substantial wages and gets a group of men to help him.

Dunson is hard on the men and you get why. This is his livelihood, but he goes to far, becoming a dictator. Men begin deserting and giving up their wages. They doubt he'll be able to sell the cattle and if he can't sell, he can't pay.

Tensions become unbearable and his adopted son stands up to him at the urging of the men. That's built in tension, when a son stands up to his father, even if the son is right. The son was adopted so he owes Dunson, and while the movie doesn't explore those emotions, they are present.

The story is great, but this adds a romance towards the end that's not needed. It's a jarring change of tone that adds to the length. This is already longer than it needs to be with page turning transitions that has a page of text outlining the next few scenes. It's a bit patronizing.