Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie Review

Grumpy Old Cowboys.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 11, 2014

Although it is, in fact, a sequel to 1969’s “True Grit,” 1975’s “Rooster Cogburn” is perhaps most notable for its pairing of John Wayne (reprising a role that won him his only Academy Award) and Katharine Hepburn -- two Hollywood legends who somehow avoided each other for the majority of their careers. I’m not sure what’s weirder: seeing Wayne play old and silly or watching Hepburn play a gun-totin’ western hero, but the chemistry is interesting. Stepping away from the harder edges of “True Grit,” this delayed follow-up plays it safe with established genre elements, a broad villain, and picturesque locations. However, remaining at the core of all the comfort are two surprisingly engaged performances from Wayne and Hepburn, who put in a professional effort with pushover screenwriting, making their characters sincere and active in ways their age (both were 67 years old during the shoot) and veteran status wouldn’t traditionally invite. As western escapism, “Rooster Cogburn” scratches the itch, providing a satisfying adventure with headstrong characters, making good use of the cast’s abilities. Yet, as a feature that arrives after “True Grit,” the film remains easy to digest, which might cause Wayne purists some discomfort as The Duke trades iron stares for light comedy in this approachable movie.

A drunk with a shoot-first attitude when it comes to his position as a U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) has been relieved of duty, sent off to drown his sorrows in booze with cat General Sterling Price. However, this retirement is short-lived, as an outlaw by the name of Hawk (Richard Jordan) has managed to commandeer a wagon loaded with nitroglycerin, with a plan to use the explosive in a major robbery of gold. Along their path, Hawk and his men, including tracker Breed (Anthony Zerbe), slaughter the residents of a peaceful, God-fearing village run by Eula Goodnight (Katherine Hepburn) and her father, leaving the kindly, bible-quoting woman with the only other survivor, a Native American teen known as Wolf (Richard Romancito). Lured by the promise of a major payday, Rooster takes off after the villains, offering to guide Eula and Wolf to sanctuary as he continues his mission. It doesn’t take long for Rooster to comprehend Eula’s stubborn manner, finally accepting her as a partner on the ride, with her fine aim and intelligence aiding the rusty lawman as he works his way to Hawk, who’s growing increasingly agitated with the mounting delays to his plan.

When we first meet Rooster, he’s just survived a deadly shootout with a gang of crooks, forced to explain his actions to a local judge who’s well aware of the lawman’s predilection for gunning down his enemies. Proclaiming that Rooster has “gone to seed,” the judge removes the Marshal’s power and puts him out to pasture. The opening of “Rooster Cogburn” is an apt parallel to Wayne’s career, who watched his commitment to westerns received by a dwindling audience -- the “true grit” of 1970’s cinema removing the need for larger-than-life actors, with antiheroes the new game in town. In his penultimate film, Wayne appears to enjoy the opportunity to revisit one of his most famous characters in a lighter affair, playing up Rooster’s whiskey-soaked attitude as it’s unleashed in a more straightforward manhunt adventure. Although I’m reluctant to brand the feature a comedy, there’s certainly mischief to absorb with Rooster’s antics, transforming him into a more huggable personality to facilitate a warmer partnership with Elua. That’s not to suggest the man has suddenly developed a soft spot for the Chinese and independent women, but there are moments when Rooster comes across as a lovable uncle instead of an effective killer of men.

Hawk isn’t a formidable foe in Martha Hyer’s screenplay. He’s more of a violent half-wit who’s determined to make his nitroglycerin scheme work, despite routine setbacks. He’s a pest who’s difficult to arrest, making Rooster’s job difficult as the villain abandons his gang while they wheel the crates of explosives across troublesome Oregon landscapes. Jordan’s performance is agreeably committed, but there isn’t much room for antagonism when there’s Wayne and Hepburn trading banter and crunchy looks. The script invests more time into the dynamic shared between Eula and Rooster, watching the pair arrive at an iffy common ground of respect once initial discomfort and trust issues are settled. While little is expected out of them, the stars contribute a rich sense of charisma, creating plausible unity out of two polar opposite characters. Eula is especially biting, depicted here as an educated woman who’s prone to quoting the bible and poetry, defiant in her need to remain with Rooster as he completes his mission. She loathes the Marshal’s drinking and tolerates his misogyny, secure in her frontier skills and need to see Hawk brought to justice.

Eula’s crispness is a fine counterpoint to Rooster’s bluster, and much of the movie is devoted to their softening combativeness. Wayne and Hepburn aren’t pushing themselves here, but their professionalism results in successful beats of comedy and a credible romantic vibe that’s threaded throughout the film, but never indulged beyond some mild swoon. The stars are immensely enjoyable, especially when director Stuart Miller orders up action sequences that put Hepburn behind a gun, matching Wayne with displays of brawn. The talent understands they’re not exactly making Shakespeare here, and they perform accordingly, trading shallow but snappy dialogue as Rooster and Eula get to know each other on the trail. And to add a juvenile presence to the older dynamic, young Wolf is established as the “son” of the couple, with intentions to follow in “dad’s” footsteps and become a U.S. Marshal himself.

Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The VC-1 encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation comes through with a reasonable display of fine detail, with some restraint applied through filtering, which flattens a degree of facial textures and fibrous costuming, but doesn't completely mute the filmic range. The print is in good shape, with only a minor amount of speckling to survey, and colors remain healthy, with a fresh handle on primaries that bring out bright blue skies and green forests. Fabrics also retain bolder hues that flavor the viewing experience. Blacks are adequate, with some day for night sequences displaying issues with crush.

Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries the essentials quite well, with a full sense of scoring that elevates the spirit of the effort, with deep instrumentation and effective balance with human elements. Dialogue exchanges are direct and crisp, never disrupted, with Wayne's voice gravely and booming, while Hepburn sounds appropriately shrill. Atmospherics are generous when the action heats up, allowing for cracking gunshots and waterway bubbling. While definition is lacking some with this older track, the overall intent remains in good condition, without distortion.

Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:07, SD) is included.

Rooster Cogburn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite dramatic limitations, "Rooster Cogburn" has forward momentum, climaxing with a raft excursion that has the heroes battling Hawk's men and raging rapids while balancing the nitroglycerin. The film keeps to the basics and locates enough conflict and danger to fill out the slightly overlong run time (there's a tighter edit in here somewhere). As a return to previous fortunes, perhaps "Rooster Cogburn" doesn't have the ambition or substance of "True Grit," but for those on the hunt for something agreeable, feature two acting legends, there are worse ways to spend 108 minutes. After all it's not every day one gets to see Katharine Hepburn man a Gatling gun.