True Grit

I like this movie a good deal, and it is easily the best thing that hack director Henry Hathaway ever did by several orders of magnitude. The acting is above average, except for Campbell, with Wayne turning in one of the better performances of his career. What really makes this film good for me is the screenplay and the dialogue. There is an authenticity to the use of language here that is very intriguing and the dialogue written by Marguerite Roberts is close to lyrical. I note that the Coen Brothers are remaking this, with Jeff Bridges in the John Wayne role, Matt Damon in the Glen Campbell role (which has to be an improvement) and Josh Brolin as the primary villain. From what I've read they have not attempted a shot by shot remake, but added their characteristic trademarks to the film. It should be interesting to see what they make of it.

I know some will find this strange, but I'm a John Wayne fan who's not a fan of True Grit. For whatever reason, the Mattie Ross character annoys the hell out of me, and it just spoils the rest of the movie, which is admittedly quite well made. It seems like every other line from her is "You will not", "I will not", "I cannot", "I do not", etc. Would it hurt her to use a contraction every now and then? I realize this is a very minor point, but for some reason it still drives me crazy.

I'm not a John Wayne aficionado, I've only seen a few of his films. I mention this because many reviewers of this film probably have a clearer idea of his career and body of work. In the few John Wayne films that I've seen, what I have noticed is what made him an icon. The larger-than-life screen persona, the drawling voice, the charisma, etc. Despite his forever iconic status, John Wayne won only a single Academy Award and that was for this film...And what a performance it is. Kim Darby stars as Mattie Ross, a strong-willed and sharp-tongued young girl whose father is killed by a man named Tom Chaney, who flees with her father's money. With Chaney hiding in Indian territory, out of reach of local authorities. Mattie becomes determined to bring him to justice. To assist her, she enlists the help of Deputy Marshal Rooster Cogburn, a one-eyed drunkard with an infamous reputation. In his four years as Deputy Marshal, Rooster has killed 23 men. After offering Rooster a substantial amoun... Read more

I am a John Wayne fan and like to watch this one whenever it comes on Turner Classic Movies. Glad to have my own copy.

The VHS tape, 'High Noon' is exactly as listed on Amazon and the service was excellent. The tape was received on time and in 'new' condition as stated in the ad. Very pleased with tape and service. Thanks !!!!!

What can you say about John Wayne that hasn't already been said. I never understood why they didn't make a hundred Rooster films. Another great performance and I own em all... Robert Duval is another Hollywood great and puts in a great performance as does Kim Darby one of her few movies. Glem Cambell will surprise you. I recommend.

This is one of my favorite films and my favorite Duke film. This package is great, with an informative extra (Of decent length) about the making of "True Grit" in Colorado.(Not Arkansas, where it takes place) One of the parts of the extra is going back to where some scenes were shot, very interesting for a fan of this film. At one location there is still remnants of wood and metal objects they left behind. I had the original DVD but gave it to a friend when I heard the "Special Collector's Edition" was coming out. I bought it the tuesday it came out. The film has been cleaned up and looks like it did in the theatre.(I saw "True Grit" at a kiddie matinee in the early to mid-seventies as a child) I have almost all of John Wayne's films (The only ones I do not have are some very early B+W " 3 day westerns") and I wish they all got this fantastic treatment. If you are a "True Grit" fan, buy it! It is worth the money.