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Overall Rating
3.97

Awesome42.11%
Worth A Look: 26.32%
Average: 23.68%
Pretty Bad: 2.63%
Total Crap: 5.26%

1 review, 32 user ratings


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True Grit (1968)
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List Price:   $14.98
Price:   $12.99
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by Stephen Groenewegen

"John Wayne's Oscar-winning performance"
3 stars

Although I was apprehensive, True Grit turned out to be very watchable.

I've nothing much to compare this experience to - I can't remember ever sitting through a John Wayne movie before. You can count on one hand the number of westerns I remember seeing - Shane, Unforgiven, Dances with Wolves (if that counts).

The "girl" (she was played by a 22 year old) helped, as it gave me an entry, someone to relate to, while the story got underway. She veered wildly from being likeable to irritating, but was never once recognisable as a human being. The lighting and photography was very yellow and green; much brighter than I expected for a western (I was expecting reds and browns). Robert Duvall was quickly spotted, but I missed Dennis Hopper completely.

I was wondering how this could have been picked as the career-capping Oscar-winning film for Wayne (he seemed gruff and agreeable enough, but not outstanding in any way), right up to the last 5 minutes. That ending - the girl's thawing into sentimentality with her gesture at the graveside, and Wayne's spirited fence-jumping (complete with freeze-frame) ended the film on a real high. I was left thinking "gee, he didn't do such a bad job after all" (the same way that last half hour of The Full Monty was so fun, and left you feeling so good, that you forgot the crummy first hour).

The "girl" as I keep calling her was Kim Darby - she began her career at age 16 in Bye Bye Birdie and ended it at age 40 in Teen Wolf Too. True Grit would appear to have been a highlight for her.

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=2248&reviewer=104
originally posted: 10/17/99 18:53:54
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User Comments

11/12/09 PAUL SHORTT ENTERTAINING AND LIKEABLE SEMI-SPOOF WESTERN, WITH A GREAT STAR PERFORMANCE 3 stars
9/27/09 good fella who allowed this dipstick to review this film 5 stars
8/26/09 chicka fergy Terrific film. A review by someone that understands film would have been appreciated 5 stars
5/25/09 bud cham far from the duke's best but very enjoyable. pathetic review by the groener 5 stars
6/12/08 sam bonner steven groenewegen is a pathetic movie critic. "True Grit" is great. 5 stars
1/28/08 Pamela White Wayne is at his best 5 stars
6/08/07 John G If it's a western, who else but Wayne could play Rooster? 5 stars
4/20/06 walt real good movie 4 stars
8/17/05 ES 'Lawyer Dagget? She draws his name like a gun don't she' 5 stars
7/01/05 miffer it was the longest two hours of my life (bo-ring) 2 stars
5/31/04 Frazier Best western ever, with plenty of spirit and entertainment. Wayne's finest role! 5 stars
12/26/03 tim great 5 stars
12/04/03 john wayne has never been better - great movie and sensational climactic duel! 5 stars
9/27/03 Alan Missed Dennis Hopper completely, huh? If you ddn't watch it, then why are you reviewing it? 5 stars
5/25/03 grandcosmo When the reviewer admits to only seeing 3 westerns before why should we bother to read him? 4 stars
1/29/03 bob Shakespearean? We can only hope... 1 stars
12/22/02 Pigwidgeon One of the best Westerns made. And Kim Darby should have gotten an Oscar, too. 5 stars
11/17/02 steven kochakji the movie was very slow, battling to stay awake! 1 stars
9/07/02 Ramblin Wreck What a fun movie..........Love seeing Glen Campbell (when singers could also act well!!) 5 stars
6/19/02 Charles Tatum Wayne is good, but this is reallly sloow 3 stars
9/24/01 JLH His best. 5 stars
7/28/01 Mike Zimmerman A bit of a spoof on westerns, and quite entertaining 4 stars
6/22/01 joelee Excellent screenplay, the stilted language the characters used was unflaggingly entertainin 4 stars
5/14/01 Derek A It's one hell of a movie 4 stars
5/13/01 R.W. Welch Slightly off-beat Western with memorable characters; Wayne's best work. 4 stars
4/25/01 viking John Wayne was great. I might check out "the Shootist". 4 stars
4/04/01 Katie Hinds Wayne was great, a little rough. Supporting actress was bad, took away from his greatness. 4 stars
3/30/01 Terrie Smith Enjoyable Wayne western; great cinematography. 4 stars
11/04/00 bobbo Cutest actress around 4 stars
3/26/00 MICHAEL SKY-EAGLE SMITH ONE OF THE DUKES BEST FILMS 5 stars
1/11/00 Ken (the_eagleman@hotmail.com) Real boring beginning but becomes interesting after 40 minutes into the movie 3 stars
12/04/99 Student Excellent film 5 stars
IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA
  11-Jun-1968
  DVD: 22-May-2007

UK
  28-Dec-1969 (PG)

Australia
  N/A (PG)


Directed by
  Henry Hathaway

Written by
  Marguerite Roberts

Cast
  John Wayne
  Glen Campbell
  Kim Darby (I)
  Jeremy Slate



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