True Grit

I have recently become a fan of Western films and there are so many that I need to see!  Luckily the TCM Big Screen Classics series features a lot of Westerns, including the latest selection True Grit, so I might be able to catch up!  After trying to see this movie on Sunday (there were technical difficulties so the screening was canceled) I got to see it last night and I really enjoyed it!  This is probably my favorite John Wayne film (so far) and his riveting performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.  Wayne plays Rooster Cogburn, an aging, overweight, alcoholic, and trigger-happy U.S. Marshall, who is hired by a young girl named Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to bring her father's killer, Tom Cheney (Jeff Corey), to justice.  A Texas Ranger named La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) is also on the hunt and is looking to claim a large reward because Cheney killed a Texas state senator.  Cogburn and La Boeuf set out to track Cheney down and reluctantly allow Mattie to ride with them leading to an epic showdown with the gang protecting Cheney.  I absolutely loved the character of Mattie because she is so feisty, determined, and resourceful.  I especially love the scene where she negotiates with a wily horse trader (Strother Martin).  Darby more than holds her own with the veteran actors in this film and she has great chemistry with Wayne, particularly in a poignant scene where Cogburn tells Mattie about himself while they are waiting to ambush the gang.  In my opinion, Wayne can sometimes seem like a caricature with his laconic line delivery but in this film he brings a sensitivity to the grizzled character he plays and his performance is very compelling.  The action sequences are incredibly exciting, especially when Cogburn gets into a gunfight on horseback with four other men in the middle of a meadow!  While the film is set in Arkansas and Oklahoma, it was mostly filmed in Colorado and the cinematography is breathtaking.  I am so glad I was eventually able to see this film on the big screen and I highly recommend it!