Rio Grande (1950)

It is by sheer accident that I have watched all of John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy in chronological order, the first two entries being Fort Apache (which I didn't review for some reason) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (which I remember better than I predicted). I also didn't intend to watch two Victor McLaglen movies in a row, but oh well.

In 1879, Lt Col. Kirby Yorke (John Wayne), owing largely to military obligations, has not seen his wife, Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara), or their son, Jeff (Claude Jarman, Jr.), since the Valley campaigns of 1864. Then they both show up at his Texas fort at once -- Jeff to serve as a trooper and Kathleen to try to get him out of it. This is not an ideal environment for a reunion, especially when the regiment has to defend settlers from a string of Apache raids.

To be clear, Kirby didn't stay away from home because he was expected to be constantly on active duty; he got on the outs with Kathleen after he saw fit to burn down her plantation in the Civil War. Sgt. Maj. Quincannon (McLaglen) carried out the order, so he gets a colder reception from her still. That won't be their last controversial move either, as Gen. Sheridan (J. Carroll Naish) unofficially wants him to disregard national sovereignty to end the Apache marauder threat once and for all. (Yes, there are a number of "good" Indians on screen, but we don't really meet them.)

If the gradually rekindling romance between spouses isn't your thing, you may take more interest in the awkward father-son relationship. Jeff says he hadn't known he'd be serving under Kirby, who initially insists on treating him like any other new recruit but is sometimes harder or softer on him depending on the mood. For all that and the danger, there's no place Jeff would rather be, and Kirby learns to respect the former underachiever.

That about does it for any semblance of plot originality, but I won't say that no other elements stand out in a positive way. Probably the most popular aspect is the music. The Sons of the Pioneers, playing soldiers, sing multiple songs, most of which I never heard before but found beautiful.

Then there's the action. Fighting doesn't take up a large percentage of the 105 minutes, but it gets exciting. Moreover, the horse stunts put Stagecoach to shame in my opinion. It can't be easy to stand on two saddles during a running leap -- or fall from that position without getting hurt.

I don't know how many more chances I'll get to see older westerns. If this is my last taste of Ford and Wayne, at least it's worthy.