Movie # 371 ........................."True Grit"(1969)

Movie #371 "True Grit" (1969) when I first saw this film, I was a teenager and gave it a 1, now after reseeing it, I guess I've seen much worse, so I upped it to a 2.5. I still dislike Glenn Campbell, and the girl is only tolerable, but I guess through the years, I've learned to find John Wayne at least tolerable, and sometimes even effective. I'm not sure why that is, maybe it's the aging thing, but I always thought he played the same guy --- and he did, but so did Humphrey Bogart, and Cary Grant, and a host of other classic actors, so why did I pick on him? Maybe because he did westerns and war movies, two of my least favorite genres? That probably was it --- so I only watched him when he starred with females I liked, like Donna Reed or Lauren Bacall (the "Shootist") or when I knew he was only in 1/2 the picture (like "Cowboys") Anyway, I now realize that when you hired John Wayne, you hired the persona, which I guess for many people works in this film. I still prefer the more realistic portrayal of the character by Jeff Bridges (in the redone), but I'm probably in a minority. Anyway, it was fun to watch this right after seeing the Coen brothers' one --- for comparison. However, I have to admit, I fell asleep a few times (drat those many long commercials on AMC) and probably missed some good moments (like the first time I viewed it, probably?) My recommendation is to see the 2010 version --- much better in this viewer's opinion (but I'm not a John Wayne fan).





You rated this movie: 2
True Grit
(1969) G
John Wayne landed one of his last great screen roles as crusty lawman Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, who reluctantly helps teenager Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) pursue her father's killer. True Grit is more a character study than many of Wayne's formulaic Westerns. The rousing final showdown between Wayne and the villains adds to the Duke's long list of outstanding movie moments.
Genre: Classic Westerns
Format: DVD (Blu-ray availability date unknown)