Disapointment

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Same Hathaway style as Katie Elder's Sons, but better written dialogue. The scenery wins here again, however. Too many pointless incidents (rattlesnakes ?), and the narrative loses focus. High head-count. Too long and grows more and more unrealistic as it goes along. Sprawls and gets boring, despite improbable gun-play. Passes the time. Wikipedia relates the stars did not get along, and Wayne thought Darby was bad. I thought she was really good.

Set on avenging her father's murder, a teenager hires a US marshal reputed to be a man of "true grit" in this Henry Hathaway western, best remembered nowadays as the film that won John Wayne an Oscar. The film benefits from a decent story and well-chosen title as the question arises of whether the marshal or the girl has more grit. It is also a surprisingly violent film with a memorable decapitated fingers scene. Rewatched back-to-back with the Coen Brothers' 2010 adaptation of the same novel, the 1969 film stands up better than expected. The Hathaway film is nowhere near as atmospheric and Kim Darby pales significantly by comparison to Hailee Steinfeld. Not only is Darby too old for the role, she tends to reduce her character to whinging and whining, which makes it hard to root for her. Wayne on the other hand is equally as solid as Jeff Bridges. With his constant joking around (especially in court), Wayne carves a more jovial character than the characters he is best known for playing and he manages to establish credible rapport with Darby. The 1969 film also benefits from one of Elmer Bernstein's most memorable scores and ineffectual as Glen Campbell may be, it is a treat to see the Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper doing all they can with pivotal supporting roles in this version.

There's a lot to love about this film. Yes, love. And there aren't many actors I can say that about...even though other Westerns are more favorites for me.Let's start with John Wayne's performance. I think he deserved the Oscar...and not just as a nod to his career, but for this film in and of itself. It isn't just that Wayne was getting old, it was that here he wasn't playing typical Wayne. More than most of his films, here he played a character...and the performance is simply iconic.The next best thing about the film is the scenery and photography. Most of it was filmed in western Colorado, and the photography does the scenery justice. The one exception is the scene in the aspen trees fairly early in the film; the camera wasn't level, and I found it quite distracting.And then there's the music. Another bold and brilliant score by Elmer Bernstein.Kim Darby's darned good here. Rooster had grit, but Mattie had spunk. Those qualities work together well, even if -- as it is said -- she and Wayne didn't like each other much.So what's not to like? The performance by Glen Campbell. Don't get me wrong, as a singer, I liked Glen Campbell. But as an actor -- PU! John Wayne made almost a dozen films after this one (and I did enjoy the sequel with Katherine Hepburn), but when I think of John Wayne riding off into the sunset...this is the film that comes to mind.

Six people a year are killed by Rooster Cogburn. He tortures his prisoners for information and enjoys it. Nowadays, we see these traits in characters such as Aldo Raine (Inglourious Basterds). Stupid and sadistic he is not move by his heroism but by his own perversion. Interestingly, in accordance with the interests of the State, this places them on the side of the good guys.John Wayne victims are men who have already been judged by facts. There is not any doubt about its guilt. They committed a crime and cease to be human, if they ever were. Wayne expresses this dehumanization of the "other" and his role as executor. In one of the best scenes, he sees a rat in his Chinese friend's pantry: "Mr. Rat, I have a written here that says you are to stop eating Chen Lee's cornmeal forthwith. (to Mattie) See? He doesn't pay any attention to me. (shoots the rat) You can't serve papers on a rat, baby sister. You either kill him or let him be."