True Grit (1969): A Review (Review #2142)

TRUE GRIT (1969)

The West was wild and wooly, but it also managed to be wryly amusing in True Grit. With strong performances and a good balance of serious and offbeat, True Grit is a strong film. 

Matty Ross (Kim Darby) is devastated when she learns that her beloved father has been murdered. The killer is known to her as trusted Ross farmhand Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey). Chaney, who has gone by other names, kills Mr. Ross (John Pickard) when the latter attempts to stop Chaney from going back to the saloon at Ft. Smith to gamble and booze up more.

Ross, who has come to collect her father's body, is determined to avenge Mr. Ross. With that in mind, she seeks out first the local sheriff. Informed that Chaney has slipped into Indian territory and is now subject to federal jurisdiction, she finds U.S. Marshall Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (John Wayne). Cogburn, overweight, with one eye and a dubious reputation for shooting first and asking questions later, at first balks. The promise of a hefty reward and a chance to go after the bandits whom Chaney has joined changes his mind.

A couple of unexpected elements pop up in this manhunt. The first is La Boeuf (Glen Campbell). La Boeuf is a Texas Ranger, also on the hunt for Chaney. La Boeuf and Cogburn easily join forces but will not have the pesky Mattie join them. That is the second unexpected element. Both men attempt to keep Mattie out of the manhunt. Mattie, however, is made of true grit herself and stubbornly pushes on. With that, the three set out to find Chaney.

Chaney has joined up with the gang of Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall). The trio discover that the Pepper gang are to go to a remote cabin that Rooster knows to pick up fresh horses. The lawmen and Mattie get there first. The bandit Moon (Dennis Hopper) gives them valuable information before dying. No dice, though, as Ned and his gang manage to escape. The pursuit continues. Mattie and Chaney unexpectedly meet. Now, it is a fight to save Mattie and capture Ned and Chaney (dead or alive). Will the one-eyed fat man triumph? 

What surprised me about True Grit was how much lightness, even humor, there was in it. True Grit was not a spoof or a caricature. Rather, it has an amusing manner given the serious premise. I think this is due to the performances. 

John Wayne's Oscar-winning performance as Rooster is big. I think that this is the correct way of playing the role. Rooster Cogburn is big. He is a flummoxed drunk but one who keeps to his code and the law, when convenient. There is something amused and amusing seeing Wayne sometimes bemused and sometimes flustered by La Boeuf or Mattie. 

However, Wayne has a wonderful dramatic moment when he recounts his past with an ex-wife and clumsy son, Horus. As he reflects on the woman he won and lost, Wayne does something interesting. He does not sink into pathos or make Rooster an introspective fellow. Instead, he keeps to a more amused, perhaps even shellshocked manner. He is dramatic but not exaggeratedly so. This is one of John Wayne's best performances. He balances mournful and nostalgic with a lightness that makes for enjoyable viewing.

John Wayne does not skimp out on the action. The highlight is when Rooster faces off against Ned and three of his gang. He tells Ned in a matter-of-fact manner that he will either kill him or arrest him. After Ned insults him, Rooster seems genuinely astonished to find someone would mock him. With an air of determination and defiance, he calls out, "Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!" before going all guns blasting. Despite the wild odds, you are convinced that Rooster will beat them all.

True Grit also is a showcase for Glen Campbell. This was Campbell's film debut, and it was a good one. He kept to that light manner as La Boeuf, whom you could not be sure was fully aware of things. He did seem at times a bit nervous on camera, almost jumpy. That being said, I think that helped Campbell's performance. La Boeuf is supposed to be a bit of a braggard who is less experienced than Rooster. As such, Campbell's more cocksure manner fits the part.

Kim Darby does well as Mattie. She does at times come across as dim and whiny. However, for most of True Grit, Darby's Mattie is direct and blunt to the point of rudeness. It does give True Grit a bit more of a comic manner. In his supporting role, the late Robert Duvall holds his own as the arrogant Ned Pepper. Dennis Hopper has a smaller role as the unfortunate Moon. He seemed a bit exaggerated in his manner. Fortunately, he was not on screen long enough to shame himself. 

Still, while True Grit is more lighthearted than other Westerners, it is not a comedy. It veers close to it. However, True Grit manages to have both drama and action. The climactic battle between Rooster and Ned's gang is brief but quite exciting. Elmer Bernstein's score adds to the excitement. Bernstein also wrote the title theme, with Don Black writing the lyrics. They received the second of True Grit's two Oscar nominations. True Grit was well sung by Campbell. 

True Grit is a fun, delightful film. Those two qualities are not usually associated with Westerns. That being said, this first adaptation of Charles Portis' novel is a good film, though perhaps longer than it should be. Nonetheless, one will have no problem filling their hands with such a colorful figure as Rooster Cogburn. 

DECISION: B+