Cad Bane's chick at Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my!! requested that we review old movies so here is the review for True Grit.
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Genre: Western, Adventure
Release date: June 11, 1969
Running Time: 128 minutes
MMPA rating: PG
The Good: One of the best westerns of alltime, Unique plot for a western, Better than the recent True Grit (2010) movie, Epic gunfight at the end, John Wayne at his best,
The Bad:
Plot: After Frank Ross (John Pickard) is murdered in October 1880 by his hired hand, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Ross' 14-year-old daughter Mattie (Kim Darby) travels to Fort Smith and hires the aging U.S. Marshal Reuben "Rooster" J. Cogburn (John Wayne). Mattie has heard that, despite his vices and missing eye, Cogburn has "true grit". She gives Rooster a down payment to track down Chaney, who has taken up with "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall), a gang leader whom Rooster once shot in a gunfight.
The pair must head into Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Mattie buys a horse for this, after collecting money from a horse trader. They are joined by a young Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell), who hopes to collect a $1,500 reward for capturing Chaney, much more than Mattie is offering Cogburn. The ranger says Chaney also killed a Texas Senator named Bibbs, and Bibbs' dog. Mattie dislikes the boastful La Boeuf and refuses his assistance, but the ranger joins forces with Cogburn, who agrees to split the reward with him. The two try to abandon Mattie, but they learn that she is determined to join their posse.
After several days, the three plan to spend the night at a cabin which Cogburn had said would be empty. At the cabin, they discover Emmett Quincy (Jeremy Slate) and Moon (Dennis Hopper), two horse thieves waiting for Pepper. Moon's leg is badly injured and Cogburn uses the injury as leverage to get information about Pepper from them. To prevent Moon from telling too much, Quincy fatally stabs Moon with a knife, and Cogburn kills Quincy. Before Moon dies, he tells Cogburn that Pepper and his gang are due at the hideout that night; the posse lays a trap.
The following morning, Pepper and his men arrive at the hideout. La Boeuf mistakenly fires and a shootout ensues, during which Cogburn and La Boeuf kill two of the gang, but Pepper and the rest escape. Cogburn, La Boeuf and Mattie make their way to McAlester's store, where the marshal arranges for the four dead men to be buried. Watch the movie to see what happens
Plot: 9.6/10- True Grit has a very Unique original plot for a western.
Action: 8.1/10- Epic gunfight at the end of the movie and lots of adventure.
Acting: 9.5/10- Is is easily the best performance John Wayne has ever had and Kim Darby as Mattie was also terrific.
Special effects: N/A
Soundtrack: 6.2/10- Standard western soundtrack not bad but not great.
Comedy: 8.6/10- True Grit is not a comedy but plenty of humor in the movie including John Wayne's great one liners.
Overall: 9.5/10- Overall True Grit is not just a great western it is a great adventure moive.
Closing comments: True Grit is one of the best westerns of alltime and we highly recommend it.
Recommended for: Western movie fans, Adventure movies fans, Anyone
Cool!! I haven't seen this movie or the new True Grit yet. I really want to see both now!
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