True Grit (1969) - 6 stars out of 10

True Grit (1969) - 6 stars out of 10

"True Grit" is one of those classics that everybody needs to see, even if only as a salute to John Wayne's incredible career in cinema.  The writers did a good job of building anticipation, making us wait over 10 minutes to get our first glimpse of Wayne and 20 minutes to meet his character.  The main reason that anybody will watch this film is to see him and the writers exploit that.  I don't agree that Wayne's performance was better than Dustin Hoffman in "Midnight Cowboy," but I do agree with the Academy for making sure that he received an Oscar (like Bogart in "The African Queen").  Besides, Rooster is just way too cool to let anybody beat him for that award.  Glen Campbell and Robert Duvall are above average, but Kim Darby has more grit than the rest of the cast combined.  It may lack in action and intensity compared to many films but the grit offered by Wayne and Darby in "True Grit" make it worth watching.