“Red River” (1948)

Genre: Western
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan

It is the end of the Civil War, and Thomas Dunson (Wayne), master of a vast cattle ranch in Texas, has to drive his livestock over the Chisholm Trail into Missouri. He is broke due to being on the losing side of the war. His plan is to profit from the large market formed by the new railroad. The dramatic tension stems from a growing feud over the management of the drive, between the Texas rancher who initiated it his adopted adult son.

Dunson is a disciplinarian who creates his own laws, alienating some of his men, his long-time comrade, the wagon train chef (Brennan) and, more notably, his adopted son, Matthew Garth (Clift). The group squabbles angrily, and Garth chooses to go on his own way, abandoning Dunson, who has lost control of the cattle drive. The movie ends with a dramatic confrontation between Wayne and Clift, using bare fists and not guns, culminating in an unlikely reunion.

“Red River” is full of remarkable cinematic elements: silhouetted covered wagons, people posing against sunset skies, perfect songs on the score, but it is very upfront in its appeal with masculine interplay. The exploration of the underlying plot of the script helps give this Western some real added bite. The dual personality examination of the authoritarian John Wayne going up against the mild-mannered Montgomery Clift, who is struggling to prove his independence and “overthrow the master.” This does succeed fantastically due to the distinction between Wayne’s macho precautions and Clift’s nervous angularity, creating an extra special tension.