Over the decades, I’ve seen quite a few Westerns including silent ones, Technicolor marvels and ones imported from Italy. Gunfight At Rio Bravo comes off as rather unique. I can’t recall one where the stranger that comes to town is a Russian immigrant played by a three-time Mr. Universe whose guns are bigger than his six-shooter. This doesn’t make the film unrealistic. There were a lot of people in the old West. Why wouldn’t there be a massive Russian riding across the frontier? The film is inspired by Ivan Turchaninov (John Basil Turchin) so Gunfight At Rio Bravo could be real.
The small Texas town of Blind Chapel seems a quiet peaceful place until ex-Confederate Ethan Crawley (I Come In Peace‘s Matthias Hues) gets locked up in the local jail. An outlaw gang the Hellhounds want to spring Ethan from behind bars and teach the townsfolks a lesson. This doesn’t look good for the town since all they have to rely on is Marshall Austin (Nemesis‘ Olivier Gruner), Sheriff Vernon Kelly (A Prayer For the Damned‘s Joe Cornet) and what might be the town prostitutes against a bunch of well-armed goons. What the Hellhounds didn’t count on was the arrival of Ivan Turchin (Maximum Impact’s Alexander Nevsky) riding into town. He’s a huge man who isn’t going to backdown when threatened. Now that he’s in town, the battle almost seems unfair.
Gunfight at Rio Bravo has the feel of a Spaghetti Western with its international cast brought together on a wild west town location – in this case it’s Gammons Gulch Movie Set in Benson, Arizona. Like a western made in Spain, the plot has a serious focus on the fighting and bodycount. We don’t need to get too clogged down in backstory of the stranger or others. We just know they have to deal with the impending massacre when the Hellhounds come to town. Alexander Nevsky is a striking figure on the dusty streets of Blind Chapel. His buzzcut hair does make him feel like he’s time traveled for trouble. His black leather shirt alone should strike fear in the attacking goons. It’s almost like Terminator On The Range when he cocks his gun. I like the blood splatter effect that make it more graphic than actors clutching their chests and falling off buildings. Nevsky and Matthias Hues are impressive in their final showdown. The movie does end with a short biography of Ivan Turchaninov, a Cossack turned Civil War general. I don’t think Ivan had the same deltoids as Nevsky, but probably the same attitude as the cowboy Ivan when it came to taking care of outlaws. Gunfight at Rio Bravo is a fine throwback to height of the Spaghetti Westerns.
The Video is 2.35.1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the details in the western sets. The audio is 5.1 Dolby Surround and 2.0 Dolby Stereo. You’ll hear a lot of punching and thuds. The movie is subtitled in English.
The Making Of Gunfight At Rio Bravo (6:03) has director Joe Cornet discuss how he hooked up with Alexader Nevsky and decided they needed to make a film. Nevsky talks about how Joe’s previous Westerns affected him. We see the various action actors that came to the production. There’s talk about the fight choreography.
Trailer (1:53) shows that this is a western with a bit of buttkicking and six shooter justice.
Shout! Factory presents Gunfight At Rio Bravo. Directed by Joe Cornet. Screenplay by Craig Hamann. Starring Alexander Nevsky, Joe Cornet, Olivier Gruner, Matthais Hues and Kerry Goodwin. Rating: Unrated. Running Time: 80 minutes. Release Date: January 17, 2023.
