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Reviews
True Grit (2010)
Fair - but could do better
If I was writing a school report for this movie I'd say, 'Fair, but could do better.' Being a fan of the Hathaway version, in which Wayne - a limited actor but a great screen presence - gives a truly iconic performance, I wondered just how this would measure up. It's not bad but it is, I think, a missed opportunity to put an authentic reading of Portis' novel on film. In view of the Coens' insistence that they had gone back to the novel I was surprised at some of the deviations from the book, not to the script's advantage. The cast is fine, with Bridges wisely not trying to out-Wayne Wayne, but trying something different - perhaps nearer to the Cogburn in the novel. This is a really good acting performance. Damon is good (as always) and the young Mattie is fine, although not always being quite assertive enough as Kim Darby was. What I found missing was the droll humour of the first movie. Don't get me wrong, this is an enjoyable movie. It's just that I think it could have been better.
McLintock! (1963)
Waynes credo?
This movie is greatly beloved by John Wayne fans and is said to contain his personal credo of what an all-American man should be. This includes being boorish and crude, having an alcohol problem and being always ready to settle things with your fists. And, of course, being ready to humiliate your wife in front of the townsfolk and end up by beating her publicly with a metal implement. Of course, some of these elements were dormant in the other Wayne / O'Hara vehicle, 'The Quiet Man', but there, due to the genius of John Ford, they were submerged in the general charm of the picture. Here, however, under a director with plenty of Ford's failings but little of his genius, they are rammed home with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer. There is a lot of slapstick humour here but it leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. One ends up feeling it is Wayne not O'Hara who needs the thrashing.