Now regarded as one of the greatest Westerns of all time as well as a key movie in the filmographies of both director Howard Hawks and actor John Wayne, Rio Bravo (1959) was mostly brushed off by critics at the time of release. Though it was popular at the box office, the film was criticized for qualities that are now seen as attributes; the intentionally simplistic story, for example, is a hook on which is hung a complex study in moral responsibilities and character redemption. Iconic Western star John Wayne was recruited by Hawks (they had worked together before in the popular Western Red River from 1948) to play Marshal John T. Chance, who has arrested Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) for murder. Burdette has a lot of armed friends on the outside, and an assault on the jailhouse is imminent. Chance finds unlikely help in his resistance from friends like a limping old man (Walter Brennan), an alcoholic former sheriff (Dean Martin), a teenage would-be gunslinger (Ricky Nelson), and a beautiful barmaid (Angie Dickinson). The notion of a "band of misfits" prevailing against seemingly insurmountable odds has proven to be an increasingly popular theme in popular culture over the years and the reputation of Rio Bravo has grown along with it. Rio Bravo also provided important roles for singer-actor Dean Martin, who was then trying to establish himself as a solo performer following his 1956 breakup with comedian Jerry Lewis, and for Angie Dickinson, who would go on to a long career in movies and television.