Quick Movie Review: True Grit (1969)

True Grit (2010)

OPENS: December 25, 2010

Directed by: Ethan and Joel Coen

Jeff Bridges -- Rooster Cogburn

Matt Damon -- La Boeuf

Josh Brolin -- Tom Chaney

Hailee Steinfeld -- Mattie Ross

Barry Pepper -- Ned Pepper




True Grit (1969)

Bottomline: Good movie. However, it is probably remembered more fondly than it actually deserves.

Where Can I See It: It's available for rent. I rented it from amazon.com.

Key Note: John Wayne won his only Oscar for this film.

QMR Opinion:
It was inspiration.

My favorite recent trailer is the one for the Coen Brothers’ remake of True Grit starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. First, I’m always excited about any movie that the Coen Brothers are attached to. Second, I’m a sucker for a good western. And, third, this is a remake of the western that introduced us to Rooster Cogburn.

Inspired by the trailer, I rented the original True Grit and sat back to enjoy a classic western saga.

It didn’t take long to figure it out, but let’s just say the romantic notion of this film is probably stronger than the film itself. In the event you don’t know, let me tell you that the film really centers on Mattie Ross (played here by Kim Darby) who is on a quest to bring her father’s killer to justice. Or, as she put it later, she wants to see the man who killed her father “bark in hell.”

To all you Trekkies out there – Yes, Darby is Miri from the Star Trek episode of the same name.

Mattie Ross goes looking for the toughest, meanest U.S. Marshal and that happens to be Rooster Cogburn, played by none other than John Wayne (died at age 72 in 1979). Cogburn is an aging, whiskey drinking, grumpy SOB who has no problem killin them that needs killin.

Wayne’s portrayal of Cogburn brought him his one and only Oscar for Best Actor. Know who else was nominated that year? Jon Voigt and Dustin Hoffman from Midnight Cowboy, the movie that walked away with Best Picture, and is the only X-Rated film to ever to win an Oscar.

Wayne reprises the role of Cogburn in Rooster Cogburn (1975) where he stars with Katharine Hepburn.


As it happens, someone else is looking for the man who killed Mattie’s father. This person is a Ranger, Sgt. LeBouef, from Texas played by Glen Campbell. One thing leads to another and they track the killer to a gang headed up by Ned Pepper, who is played by Robert Duvall.

The movie opens with the cheesiest “western” tune I’ve heard in a long time. It’s talks about “True Grit” but could have been entitled “True Wimp.” Gads, it is awful. And it’s sung by. . .guess who. . .Glen Campbell. Of all things, this sorry song was nominated for an Academy Award.

This movie is great when Darby and Wayne are on screen together. It is really good when Darby and Wayne are on screen separately. But the life of the whole film gets sucked out of it when Campbell blunders onto the set. My assumption is that they needed a “hot” young singer/actor who could draw an audience and could be a good contrast to a Wayne. I would like to say that Campbell tries hard, but I really can’t tell. He is so bad that there is no way I can describe it here. You just have to see it to believe it.

The direction by Henry Hathaway is solid, but Wayne and Darby carry the water here. Wayne, who has always been underrated as an actor, is terrific as Cogburn and is clearly having a terrific time. Darby is strong as Mattie Ross. I was impressed. She held her own with Wayne, who is a scene chewer.

Pleasant surprises included Robert Duvall as Ned Pepper. He is not on screen for too much time, but is great. There is also Dennis Hopper, who meets an unfortunate end, and then there is one of my favorite supporting actors of all time – Strother Martin. The scenes between him and Darby are terrific.

Based strictly on the trailer, the Coen Brothers’ version of “True Grit” appears to be a good bit darker in tone than the 1969 original. However, I would encourage you to rent the original because it is entertaining and it will provide a solid comparison for the updated version.