Rio Bravo sucked. The plot sucked, and John Wayne put no effort into the film. As was often the case, it was John Wayne in the film, not the actual character. And Hawks was content to have sloppy performances using a pee-poor script.
Katie Elder also sucked. John Wayne & Dean Martin once again just gave their standard characterizations.
“Doesn’t ANYONE on this thread own - at least - a Leonard Maltin guide for God’s sake?”
God has nothing to do with it, and Maltin is NOT a great film reviewer.
The Cowboys showed what Wayne COULD do, as did some other films (Angel and the Badman, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, for examples). Too often, it was simply ‘John Wayne’ on the screen.
But do you wear a sweater?