5. Howard Hawk's Rio Lobo
Howard Hawks was a director who could work in any genre he pleased and produce a masterpiece. He gave the world highly acclaimed comedies, action/adventure films, westerns, musicals, gangster pictures, dramas and film noir but he never had more success than with the western genre. All of his films seemed to be a reflection of himself and how he interpreted human interaction which Rio Lobo sums up nicely. It features John Wayne once again working with Hawks to complete a trilogy of westerns (Rio Bravo, El Dorado, Rio Lobo) as a sheriff trying to keep the law in tact in his town as it is invaded by outlaws. The rough and lawless nature of the west perfectly suited Hawks' directorial style and allowed him to bring all of his best traits as a director to the forefrontnhere. Rio Lobo may not be his best western but it is a perfect cap to a perfect career. Hawks brings his typical sly and cynical male hero to the screen one last time in John Wayne's Col. Cord McNally while also summing up his Hawksian female archetype one last time to great effect. Jennifer O'Neill, playing Shasta Delaney, really elevates the film because her interplay between the various male characters represents such an important truth about individuals that it basically goes under the radar for most viewers. Rio Lobo is a film about teamwork and the truth about individuals that it characterizes so effortlessly is that, when given a common enemy to combat, we will unite against our differences. This is such a simple yet uniformly human idea that it almost becomes overlooked amidst the action and clever dialogue Hawks was so amazing at crafting. Rio Lobo may seem like an action/adventure movie with little to say but just under the surface it is actually a very well made meditation on the nature of human relations with one another amidst times of struggle.