After all we've been through with these characters, their pearl - clutch - inducing proclivities, his low slung jeans, and her rolling eyeballs, this conservative's wet dream
ends on
somewhat of a
bittersweet note, albeit one that feels absolutely freeing.
At times Rio Lobo calls to mind King Lear in its rage and desperation, yet more often it's a cranky, mean - spirited mess; El Dorado sometimes increases the relaxation of Rio Bravo to the point of lethargy, yet its
bittersweet final image of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum hobbling down the street — adapted with
somewhat different connotations at the
end of Twilight — touches on realities and emotional shadings that Rio Bravo couldn't accommodate.