Rio Bravo (film) - Plot

Plot

In the town of Rio Bravo, Texas, sheriff's deputy Dude (Dean Martin), who has acquired the contemptuous nickname "Borrachón", enters a saloon to get a drink. Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), brother of rancher Nathan Burdette, tosses a silver dollar into a spittoon at Dude's feet. As Dude reaches for the spittoon, Presidio County, Texas Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) appears and kicks the spittoon away, looking at Dude with pity. Dude whacks Chance with a piece of wood, knocking the sheriff out cold. With two men holding Dude upright, Joe begins punching him, then shoots and kills an unarmed bystander who tries to intervene.

Joe leaves the saloon and heads to his brother's saloon, where a bloody Chance arrests Joe for the murder of the bystander. When another patron draws his gun on Chance, causing a stalemate, Dude shoots the gun out of the patron's hand, Chance slugs Joe with his rifle, and the sheriff and his deputy drag Joe off to jail.

While the funeral for the unarmed man is being held, Chance's friend Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond) and his supply train stop in town, with a young gunslinger, Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), riding guard. Wheeler informs Chance that Nathan Burdette's men stopped him outside of the town, meaning that the town is "bottled up" to prevent Chance from getting Joe to Presidio or any assistance in. Inside the jail, Stumpy (Walter Brennan), Chance's other deputy, keeps watch over the jail and Joe. Chance takes a delivered package to the proprietor of the hotel, Carlos Robante (red lingerie for his wife, Consuela (Estelita Rodriguez). A mysterious woman, Feathers (Angie Dickinson), arrives for a night. She arrived on a stage coach whose wheel has broken (possibly by Burdette's men), which delays its departure.

Dude and Chance patrol the town, when Carlos stops the sheriff, saying Wheeler was talking too much about Chance needing help. Chance implores Wheeler to stop, as it will draw attention from the wrong people. Wheeler and Chance also discuss Dude; about three years earlier Dude was a top-notch gunman until he "met a girl on the stage" who was no good and they left together. Six months later Dude came back without her, drunk (hence his nickname, "Borrachón", "big drunk"), but Dude has stopped drinking due to the crisis. Wheeler suggests that Colorado could be of assistance but Colorado politely declines, saying he wants to "mind his own business." Feathers leaves a poker game a winner, Chance follows her up to her room and confronts her as a card cheat, with his evidence four missing aces from the deck of cards being used in the game, and a handbill indicating she was wanted for card cheating. Feathers confesses she is the girl in the poster but denies cheating, and challenges Chance to search her for the missing cards. Colorado arrives saying another participant in the game is the real cheat and plans to confront him with Chance's acquiescence. Colorado is proven right, and the real card cheat is sent out on the next stage. Chance admits he was wrong but refuses to apologize.

As Wheeler is walking back to the hotel, he is shot dead by a Burdette man hiding in the stable. Colorado offers to help but is angrily turned away by Chance who says "you had a chance to get in this and you didn't want it." Chance and Dude flush out the shooter, who escapes into Nathan's saloon. Dude believes the man had muddy boots, but everyone in the bar has clean boots. To suggest Dude is a drunk who needs a drink, one patron throws a silver dollar into a spittoon. Dude notices blood dripping into a drink on the bar and takes one shot into the loft, killing Wheeler's murderer. Dude then gets retribution on the patron who threw the dollar coin in the spittoon by making him go get it.

Chance goes back to the hotel to sleep, and unbeknownst to him, Feathers stands guard at the door to keep him safe, then returns to her room when he awakens. Chance asks Feathers why she did that but she does not say. Chance insists that she should leave on the stage coach. Nathan (John Russell) later arrives in town with his men, intent on seeing his brother Joe. Dude is standing guard and confiscating all guns before entering town, and Nathan agrees to turn in their guns until they leave. Nathan sees Joe, and after a few angry words between the land baron and Chance, is told in no uncertain terms if he attempts to overrun the jail his brother would be "accidentally" shot before they reached him. Nathan then leaves to visit his saloon, instructing the band there to play the Deguello (the "cut-throat" song) non-stop.

Carlos says Feathers will not get on the stage coach, and when Chance goes to see her she tells the sheriff that she does not want to leave, then gives Chance a kiss. After Colorado visits the jail to tell Chance the meaning of the song Nathan is playing, Chance gives Dude his guns back (the ones he had before he left town, sold by Dude but bought by Chance) as well as some clothes he left behind. Dude changes clothes and gets a shave, then returns to the jail while Chance and Feathers get better acquainted. Suddenly a shot rings out and Chance races to the jail, only to find Stumpy had shot at a shadow (Dude) in front of the jail. Dude and Stumpy exchange angry words, then Chance tells Dude they've been "pampering him too much" and to get some sleep.

The next morning, while Dude is standing guard at the town entryway, four Burdette men attack him from behind and tie him up in a stable. Approaching Chance on the street in front of the hotel with a fake injury, they draw guns and corner him (Chance's rifle is out of reach), and demand that he release Joe. Inside the hotel, acting on Colorado's instructions, Feathers throws a flowerpot through a window a moment after Colorado steps out on the porch, distracting the Burdette men. Colorado throws Chance's rifle to him and the two men shoot the four Burdette hands. Chance races down the street, finds Dude tied up in the stable and frees him. Dude, frustrated by his performance and recovering from his extended drunkenness, resigns as deputy. Colorado agrees to join Chance as deputy and then Dude reconsiders quitting after hearing the Deguello song, reminding him why he was there.

The group decides to hole up in the jail, as it will take several more days for the United States Marshal to arrive to take Joe to Presidio. Dude and Chance go to the hotel to round up additional supplies, but Carlos and Consuela are captured by Burdette men, and trick Chance into charging down the stairs, falling over a trip-wire. Dude and Feathers also are captured. Chance is given a choice--take the men to the jail to let Joe out, or the men will arrange a trade with Stumpy for Dude and Chance. Dude implores Chance to let Joe out, saying that Stumpy has no food or water to hold out very long. Chance agrees, and three men go to the jail. Dude's story was a ruse, as Colorado is with Stumpy and the three of them shoot the three Burdette men. The remaining Burdette men at the hotel take Dude and offer to trade him for Joe. Chance agrees, and the trade is made at a warehouse. But Dude bum-rushes Joe and they scuffle while a gunfight erupts. Dude knocks Joe out and Stumpy (who followed them over after being told to stay behind) finds some dynamite in one of Wheeler's wagons, and throws it at the building Burdette's men are in. The exploding dynamite in front of the building causes Burdette to surrender. With the Burdette men in jail, Chance goes to see Feathers who is wearing black tights to work at the hotel. Chance threatens to arrest Feathers, saying that only he should see her in those tights. Feathers takes this as an admission that Chance loves her, and they kiss.