1959 Classic, Which John Wayne Made out of Anger, Named Among Best Westerns of All Time
Few actors dominated a genre like John Wayne dominated the Western. While Clint Eastwood starred in perhaps the greatest trilogy of all time in Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" series, Wayne exemplified the genre.
While he made plenty of hits it was his Rio Bravo that caught the attention of Rotten Tomatoes, which ranked it as the No. 5 best Western of all time.
The 1959 classic was made in response to High Noon, which also ranked among the best Western's of all time - even though John Wayne suggested it was "un-American."
John Wayne Didn't Agree With Sheriff's Portrayal in 'High Noon'
Wayne didn't hide his contempt for High Noon, which came during the height of McCarthyism.
"Everybody says High Noon is a great picture because [Dimitri] Tiomkin wrote some great music for it and because Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly were in it," he said. "So it's got everything going for it. In that picture, four guys come in to gun down the sheriff. He goes to the church and asks for help and the guys go, ‘Oh well, oh gee.' And the women stand up and say, ‘You're rats. You're rats. You're rats.'"
Wayne called it the most "un-American" thing he's ever seen in his life.
"So Cooper goes out alone. It's the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life. The last thing in the picture is ole Coop putting the United States marshal's badge under his foot and stepping on it. I'll never regret having helped run Foreman out of this country," he said.
Howard Hawks Agrees With John Wayne
Rio Bravo director Howard Hawks agreed, revealing he made the film in direct response to High Noon.
"I made Rio Bravo because I didn't like High Noon," he said. "I didn't think a good town marshal was going to run around town like a chicken with his head cut off asking everyone to help. And who saves him? His Quaker wife. That isn't my idea of a good Western."
The film eventually received a 96% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 90% from audiences.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 3:43 AM.