True Grit (The Original)

True Grit (1969)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: Henry Hathaway

Starring: John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper

From: Paramount

There was more than one reason why this was watched last night. It's been on the DVR for a little more than a month; it was overdue. Another reason is more melancholy. I've mentioned it in passing a few times but there's been plenty of new followers in the past year. July 25th of last year was when my mom passed away. No, it was NOT COVID but rather a malady that's probably always been around. She was sick since the beginning of 2020 and time has not dimmed those awful memories. Like many people her age, she was always happy to watch or rewatch a John Wayne picture... and I might as well finally review one of the most popular flicks that The Duke ever made.

As many people have viewed the Coen Brothers remake I am sure the plot will be familiar enough where it doesn't have to be dwelled on. A young girl hires cantankerous U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to track down the outlaw that killed her father; of course it's more complicated than that but that's the main plot point. She, Rooster, and a Texas Ranger known as La Boeuf go after the bad guys. Note that ELVIS could have played the Texas Ranger instead of Glen Campbell. While the character was no Rhinestone Cowboy, I'll presume it was Colonel Tom Parker that prevented us from having such a legendary Americana pairing.

I've seen people complain about the performances of all three leads. Personally, I enjoyed Wayne delivering a typical Wayne performance (for the most part) and I thought the Wichita Lineman was fine. Kim Darby as Mattie Ross... that is a different story. I'll just presume that Hailee Steinfeld was better in the 2010 film... and hopefully the character itself isn't as irritating. Among other things, why exactly did Ross always have a bug up her butt concerning La Boeuf? That was puzzling to me. Even then this was a pretty good adventure where Rooster was an entertaining character, thankfully not an A-hole despite his gruff nature, and there's natural conflict between the two lead men on how they should apprehend the villains. Did I mention that the lead heel was played by Robert Duvall?

I'm sure that eventually, the Coen Brothers version will be watched by me-at least this was a pretty good time. Wayne won an Oscar for this role... although that could have been done as a lifetime achievement award sort of thing as he already had cancer and at the time some thought this'd be his last role. In any case, I'm sure this is a movie that both my parents enjoy and enjoyed watching.