Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

EL DORADO is a romantic western comedy about a friendship, love, responsibility and politics. It is the second of three films directed by Hawks about a sheriff defending his office against belligerent outlaw elements in the town, after "Rio Bravo" and before "Rio Lobo". I think there was a perfect chemistry between the actors in the movie "Rio Bravo". Taking into account almost similar plot lines, this is a very reliable remake. Cole Thornton, a gunslinger-for-hire, has found himself in the middle of a conflict between a wealthy rancher, the hardworking McDonald family and law in a fight for water. The local sheriff J. P. Harrah is his friend. Cole, unwilling to fight his friend and to the relief of saloon owner Maudie, has turned down a job with the wealthy and evil rancher. However, Cole accidentally shoot the youngest member of the McDonald family. He, in turn, gets a bullet next to his spine. Several months later, Cole runs into another gunslinger-for-hire named Nelson McLeod and a young greenhorn with a peculiar hat called Mississippi. It seems that his friends and the McDonald family are in great danger. Cole decides to return to El Dorado...Nothing is spectacular in this film, except a very fun relationship between the two big movie stars. The dialogues, that glorifying friendship and responsibility, are comical, gunfight are very exciting and, unfortunately, two romances remain suspended in the air.The scenery is quite cramped. The atmosphere is good. Robert Mitchum as Sheriff J.P. Harrah is very good in the role of a competent sheriff, who became an alcoholic because some women. However, he is ready to pull the trigger on the right time. John Wayne as Cole Thornton is a charming and charismatic drifter who finds himself in the right place at the right time, and even when to get shots.It is a very pleasant, but already seen.

(Flash Review)A rancher aims to overtake his neighbor's land to seize water rights for financial gain. The rancher is serious as he hires some gun slinging cowboys to do the dirty work for him. The sheriff in town is a drunk so occasionally ineffective. Wayne gets involved and comes to town and does an honorable job of talking sense and encouragement to the sheriff to enforce the law of the land. There was some nice character interactions between those two as well as Wayne and various cowboys in many different ways. Will Wayne be able to wrangle people to a just end or will main street become bloody mud and corpse riddled? There are many picturesque shots of the vast open lands that help make this a pure Western.

I am fifty years behind in finally seeing this great western, starring Robert Mitchum and John Wayne. Who would have expected the free wheeling, pot smoking Mitchum to work so well with the seemingly anal retentive,uptight conservative Wayne. They are absolutely great together as two aging gunfighters who reunite to battle another gun for hire. A young James Caan, a few years before his role as Sonny in the Godfather, rounds out the team. Mitchum has finally settled down as the sheriff of a sleepy town as Wayne shows up to right some wrong. They both are wounded along the way, leading to some extremely funny exchanges, as the pair show perfect comedic timing. Caan is a gambler who is completely inept with guns and gets the best lines in the movie. El Dorado is a must see film.

By 1966 both John Wayne and Howard Hawks seemed to Dial Their Prospective Macho Personas Down a Notch and both are the Better for it. This Film is one of the Best for both the Actor and Director.Hawks and Wayne are more Natural here. The Director was always Striving for Realism but Rarely Attained and Strained most of the Time. His Trademark Overlapping Dialog Never seemed Real, Just a Filmmaker Pretentiously and Painfully Trying to be Real.In This Movie the Duke's Dialog Delivery is a Bit more Low Key and He Doesn't Project as much as Usual and the Words come out more Natural and Believable. Ditto for the Action Scenes.Robert Mitchum is Excellent and is the Best Actor on the set. He Dominates every Scene He is In and this is one of His Best Later Day Performances. The Ensemble Cast Work Well together with relative Newcomer James Caan managing to Hold His Own among the Two Towering Stars.The Supporting Players also Contribute to make this a much Better Film than the Stiff and Stagey "Rio Bravo" (1959). The Violence is at Times Brutal and the Cinematography is Wider and more Sumptuous than Bravo.Overall, with the help of a Great Sidekick Arthur Hunnicutt Providing the Levity and a Couple of Strong Female Characters, this is one of the Best Films for Hawks, Wayne, and Mitchum and really does Overshadow its Overrated Brother "Rio Bravo".