True Grit

Plot: A tough, but ageing and drunken US Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne). vows to help a young girl - Mattie (Kim Darby) - track down her father's killer, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey). The pair are joined by La Boeuf (Glen Campbell), a Texas Ranger who also wants to catch Chaney and claim a reward for him.


True Grit quickly proves itself as a fun and enjoyable adventure of a western. John Wayne puts in an Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn, the Marshal known for his ruthlessness in tracking down killers. Cogburn is no great saint himself though, as he admits one of his own crimes of stealing money to Mattie during the film.

Mattie, the head strong young teenager has a real attitude about her and is engaging to watch. In essence, she plays Rooster's conscience, ensuring that he gets back on a right and true path. His admitting of his sins to her is certainly evidence to this. In playing the role of Rooster's conscience, Mattie exerts more control over the trio's adventure than Rooster does himself, even if Rooster doesn't quite realise this. There's certainly a sense of him letting her get her way though. She exudes a sense of friendship to those that seem to wish to treat her decent. Rooster, in the end, laps this friendship up, he'd seemingly become lonely living just with Chen Lee, the shopkeeper, and the General, a ginger tom cat.

In seeking out Chaney, Rooster must also go up against an old foe, Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall). This provides a really exciting final shootout, as Rooster faces off in a horsebound duel against Ned and three of his men. In the end, Rooster bests them, though it's at the cost of his much loved horse, that has seen him through many an adventure up until now.

John Wayne stated that the script for True Grit was the best he ever read, being particularly fond of the scene in which Rooster tells Mattie about his ex-wife while awaiting the arrival of Ned Pepper. He went on to reprise the role in a 1975 sequel, titled Rooster Cogburn.

8 out of 10