As a child, I looked up to him. He sat tall in the saddle, almost always played the good guy, and of course, always got the girl. And it wasn't just any girl. It was girls like Maureen O'Hara, Kate Hepburn, Angie Dickinson, Stefanie Powers, Natalie Wood, Sophia Loren, and others. To watch him on screen was to see manhood personified.
He only received one OSCAR for all of his acting performances. It was for his portrayal of Marshall Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.
And I have to add that if it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be living in Texas. Watching him as a kid was what made me want to come here in the first place. Falling in love with Texas was all me, but coming here to visit, that was all Duke.
So, you can probably imagine my reaction when I heard that there was going to be a remake of True Grit.
HOW DARE THEY! This is blasphemy. There are things in this world you simply don't fu@k with. Even if you are the Coen brothers.
Well, I rented it from the RedBox last night, fully prepared to curse it loudly and turn it off in disgust before the first scene was over.
Damn, I hate it when I'm wrong. I really liked it. So much so, that I'm going to buy a copy for my library. It will never replace the original for many reasons, but it sure shines in it's own way.
The dialogue and story line are very true to the original. Jeff Bridges does an admirable job as Rooster (although at times I think he was channeling Carl from Sling Blade), and Matt Damon does a great job as LaBoeuf. Hailee Steinfeld (who is 24, by the way) plays Maddie. Josh Brolin is Tom Chaney. and although his role is small, he does a good bad guy.
Being as it is a Coen brothers movie, the ending has to be different. There is no Rooster on a new horse jumping a 3 rail fence. I won't spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it yet, but do see it. It's worth the price of a rental. I don't do theaters because I have a big screen, 5.1 surround sound and a really comfy recliner. But if I didn't have that, I'd even spring for a ticket to see this one.
I think even Duke smiled down and said "Good job, kid"
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