Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Western Wednesday: True Grit (1969)

It's Western Wednesday! Last week's review was of a slightly lesser known film River of No Return from 1954. (you can check out that review here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/western-wednesday-river-of-no-return.html) However, this week's title is one of the most famous Westerns, and one of my all-time favorites, 1969's True Grit. There was a decent remake of this film in 2010, and I may do a review of that one at a later date, but today my focus is on the original.
The plot is pretty simple but enjoyable. After her father is murdered by a man named Chaney, Mattie (played by Kim Darby) seeks out an aging, U.S. Marshal named "Rooster" Cogburn (played by John Wayne) to bring her father's killer to justice. It takes some convincing but Cogburn eventually agrees, and they set out to capture Chaney. They soon come across, and join forces with a Texas Ranger, named La Boeuf (played by Glen Campbell), who is also pursuing Chaney. So, all three of these people are off to track down the 'bad guy', and each has slightly different motivations, but it works well. And, of course, they eventually find Chaney, Cogburn shoots him, and Mattie's father's killer meets his end.

There's a lot to like about this movie, I find all the characters likable and memorable, the chemistry is solid, and the movie overall is very entertaining. It's also one of the all-time greatest John Wayne performances, and it even won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

True Grit is a true classic, and I give it a 5 out of 5.


Have a suggestion for a review?
Leave it in the comments below, and be sure to check back for a new review every 'Western Wednesday'

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