True Grit

"Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!" - Rooster Cogburn

release year: 1969
genre: western
viewing setting: home DVD, 6/10/20

synopsis: A young girl, seeking revenge for her murdered father, hires a tough old lawman to track him down and bring him to justice.

impressions: This was actually my first viewing of a John Wayne movie, for reasons I cannot explain. It had a straightforward plot - venture into dangerous areas to track the man down - and the group had to learn to tolerate each other's quirks (and they all had some.) For a G-rated movie, this had some intense moments (triple hanging, lots of shooting, a bit of cursing.)

acting: John Wayne does a great job as an old (and often drunk) lawman who's tough and fearless. Kim Darby is the girl who's set on getting revenge/justice, even if she has to do it herself; she speaks her mind and never backs down. Glen Campbell is a Texas Ranger who joins the group. Robert Duvall is the leader of the small gang that the fugitive joins. Dennis Hopper appears briefly as another bandit. Strother Martin is a horse trader. IMDB states that Wilford Brimley appeared in the movie somewhere, but I never spotted him.

final word: Good western from the old days.

back to the main review page