Tweekums
The character Reuben 'Rooster' Cogburn first appeared in the 1969 classic 'True Grit', now he is back for another adventure and once again he is accompanied by a feisty woman. In the opening scenes Rooster is fired from his job as a US Marshall on account of the number of suspects he kills but as soon as an army shipment of nitro-glycerine is stolen by a gang planning to use it for a bank robbery he is reinstated. Shortly after the robbery the gang stop in a small settlement in the Indian Territory and kill the preacher and several of the Indians before leaving. When Rooster gets there he finds the preacher's daughter Eula Goodnight and an Indian boy named Wolf; he agrees to take them to the next settlement but they end up sticking with him. Not long afterwards they catch up with the gang and manage to retrieve the wagon load of explosives
it turns out that was the easy part; the gangs leader is determined to get it back and it won't be easy for them to get the cargo back to civilisation when any bump or stray bullet could cause an explosion! While I don't think this is as good as 'True Grit' it is a very entertaining Western with plenty of exciting shootouts, the use of a Gatling gun, some tense standoffs, white water rafting and an explosive conclusion! John Wayne does a great job as the eponymous hero and Katharine Hepburn puts in a solid performance as is bible-thumping companion. Other notable performances come from Richard Romancito as Wolf; Richard Jordan as the gang's leader, Hawk and Anthony Zerbe as Breed, a former colleague of Rooster's who is now working for Hawk. The film is shot amongst some lovely scenery with Oregon filling in for Arkansas.
peter-2749
Looking at some of the other reviews on here I am prone to thinking that I must have watched a different film!Others have criticised the plot but I thought that this was actually one of the best parts of the film! It is no worse than many other Westerns made in the previous 40 years and certainly feasible and not BADLY written(although no "High Noon", or "Destry").The sad thing for me however was watching the two main stars who appeared to be both well past their prime. Although in the case of Wayne the script eludes to this with the Cogburn character being described as "having let himself" and being "old" in no way am I saying that we should not have "old" actors on screen. Indeed I would welcome it. Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Clint Eastwood to name but three have all improved with age but both Wayne and Hepburn did not with this one.For large parts of the film it looked like they were simply reading the script and both of them were clearly having difficulty in merely getting up and walking. (Yet miraculously could ride their horses at break-neck speed and operate a raft with amazing dexterity). On top of this there were some really gaping holes in credulity: Hepburn was 68 when this film was made but one of the main elements of the storyline is that her father is killed (played by Jon Lormer who was actually only a year older than she was)! The average life expectancy for white males in the 1880s in America was under 40! (Even less in "The West") and whilst people did live into old-age, they certainly would not have been as "nimble" as Lormer was (in comparison to the leads).I thought that both of the main stars were wooden and overall film was rather "clunky". Anthony Zerbe played his part well but even here was let down but the fact that every time I looked at him I just thought of Clint Eastwood due to the laziness of the costume department!Do yourself a favour and give this one a miss. If you do want to see these stars at their best, watch Wayne in "True Grit" and Hepburn in the "African Queen" instead.
arsportsltd
John Wayne was one of the fundamental stars of the movies and when one bought a ticket to a John Wayne movie, one was assured of a fine movie! Executive Producer Hal Wallis bought together John Wayne and one of the other great stars of the era Katharine Hepburn for this movie. The film shot in Oregon has wonderful scenic shots. It is wonderful to see the great Hepburn riding a horse and sparring with John Wayne in this film. Katharine Hepburn who in her long career worked with James Stewart, Cary Grant, Peter O'Toole, and her great love Spencer Tracy among others is equal to John Wayne in all matters in this film. And John Wayne loves every minute of it! Producers like Hal Wallis and Stars like John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn do not exist anymore in today's Hollywood! How they are missed!David Barra Los Angeles
TheLittleSongbird
That does seem to be the general consensus surrounding Rooster Cogburn and I agree. The best asset of the film is easily the performances and chemistry of John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn, who are wonderful individually and together, and I was also impressed with the handsome cinematography, beautiful scenery and rousing score. There are some moments of witty and fun dialogue too.Conversely, the film is rather sluggishly directed and also the film does drag in spots. I wasn't taken with Richard Jordan, I thought he overacted to the point it was somewhat distracting. The weakest asset of Rooster Cogburn is the story, it feels very cobbled together and is clumsily told.In conclusion, it is a decent movie that could have been more. That said, Wayne and Hepburn actually prevent it from being any less than it turned out to be. 6/10 Bethany Cox
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