Un uomo di carattere

If you were prompted to think of Rooster Cogburn or "True Grit", you would most likely think either of John Wayne or Jeff Bridges. My experience after this film suggests that this shouldn't change. The memorable Western protagonist is played this time by Warren Oates. He'd only live a few years after making this film, but his filmography is full of well-known titles, like "In the Heat of the Night" and "Badlands". I think he may be one of those actors, like Lee Van Cleef, who is best suited to supporting roles, as he simply can't pull off the character. In the film he looks more like Jeff Bridges than John Wayne, sporting a grey beard with the characteristic eyepatch, although he lacks Cogburn's portly figure ("That's bold talk for a one-eyed fat man" - one of the story's most memorable lines). People who've seen either "True Grit" will know that Cogburn isn't the only significant character, which brings me to Mattie Ross. In this film she is played by Lisa Pelikan. I believe that her performance is somewhat inferior to Kim Darby's (1969), and vastly inferior to Hailee Steinfeld's (2010); however, some of this may be due to the script, which rarely awards any of the actors a decent line. Given his size, temperament and involvement in all the action, Rooster Cogburn, even in this TV film, is always in the viewer's mind. Unfortunately, the combination of lacklustre acting and forgettable lines means that Mattie Ross provokes nothing but apathy (in this she reminded me of Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor in "Terminator Genisys": more "invisible" than "bad"). The other aspects of the film fail to redeem it. There are one or two fairly fun action scenes, but - even for a TV film - it feels *much* older than it is. If I hadn't known that John Wayne was too ill to take the lead in 1978, I'd have suspected that this was the older version. I've read that it was intended to be launched into a TV series; it's a good thing that it wasn't.

True Grit (A Further Adventure) is directed by Richard T. Heffron and written by Sandor Stern. It stars Warren Oates, Lisa Pelikan, Lee Meriwether, James Stephens, Jeff Osterhage and Lee Montgomery. Music is by Earle Hagen and cinematography by Stevan Larner.

This is a TV movie that follows on from the two Rooster Cogburn movies that featured John Wayne in the iconic title role. Here we have Warren Oates donning the Rooster eye patch, he's on escort duty but as he has Mattie Ross (Pelikan) trying to reform him, he winds up in a town trying to make things right - you know, bad guys to be sorted whilst looking after those he has a soft spot for.

It's actually not a bad piece as such - in that fun episodic Oater kind of way - but that's the problem, it feels like, and should have been a one hour picture. There's simply not enough weight here to carry the pic through an hour and forty minutes. Oates wisely doesn't try to mimic Duke Wayne by putting his own stamp on the character, and turns in a good perf (some serious non wild west white teeth there though!). Unfortunately the supporting cast are desperately poor, and while the playing it for jolly pulse beat entertains to a degree, the lack of serious tension undermines proceedings and renders the whole thing pretty pointless. 5/10

There are things that are simply not done in polite society. For instance, pouring cola into a twenty-year-old whiskey. And somewhere on that same list is the entry: "making a sequel to True Grit without John Wayne." This is not merely bad form. It is cinematic blasphemy. Therefore, I confess, I sat down to watch this television film with a single purpose: to thoroughly scoff at the audacity of its creators. But, as sometimes happens, life offered a surprise.

Let's be perfectly clear. To replace John Wayne in the role of Rooster Cogburn is like replacing the Statue of Liberty with a garden gnome. It is impossible. Foolish. Offensive. John Wayne did not play Cogburn; he was Cogburn, or rather, Cogburn was just another incarnation of the myth named "John Wayne." And then, almost nine years later-or three, to be precise, after his Oscar-winning sequel-someone decides that this role can be played by... Warren Oates. Good heavens, Warren Oates! Not a star. Not an icon. But one of the finest character actors of his generation. A seasoned, earthy, perpetual sidekick from Sam Peckinpah's films. And this decision, this stroke of casting insanity, became the main and sole salvation of the entire project.

Because Oates did what Wayne could not and would not do. He didn't play a myth. He played a man. His Rooster Cogburn is not a living monument with an eyepatch. He is a genuinely old, tired, perpetually sweaty, and slightly grimy man who makes a living by shooting bad guys. There is not an ounce of the Duke's monumentality in him, but there is exponentially more life. When Wayne drank, it was part of the image. When Oates drinks, you can smell the cheap whiskey through the screen. His Cogburn is not a Western hero. He is a noir character accidentally dropped into the Wild West. And to witness this transformation is incredibly fascinating.

And who helps him in this, you might ask? Our old acquaintance, the queen of 70s and 80s genre cinema, Lisa Pelikan! It seems fate is determined to acquaint me with her filmography. And here, as always, she is perfectly in her element. Playing a grown-up Mattie Ross, she creates the ideal counterweight to Oates's weary cynicism. She is the same stubborn, business-like, and unbending woman who prevents the old marshal from drowning completely in his bottle. Their duet lacks the paternal warmth of the Wayne/Darby pairing, but it possesses something more valuable: the chemistry of two weary, but unbroken, loners.

The film itself is a typical television product of its time. Unhurried, with a simple, almost detective-like story, devoid of large-scale shootouts and epic scope. But its modesty only works in its favor. It allows the focus to remain not on the action, but on the characters, on their dialogue, on the quiet chemistry between an old, broken lawman and a young woman who still believes in justice.

Verdict

What Succeeded:

Warren Oates. His performance is not a replacement but a complete reinterpretation. He created his own unique Cogburn-grittier, more realistic, and perhaps even more tragic. It is a masterclass in character acting.

The Chemistry of the Leads. The Oates and Pelikan duet is a union of two professionals who squeeze the absolute maximum out of the material they are given.

Modest Charm. The film does not try to punch above its weight. It knows it is a humble TV movie and honestly delivers on its promise, concentrating on characters rather than epic scope.

The Atmosphere. This is a pleasant, nostalgic TV western from the 70s that feels like a well-preserved artifact of its era. It has a soul that modern blockbusters often lack.

What Went Wrong:

The Shadow of the Original. No matter how you look at it, it is impossible to completely detach from the image created by Wayne. And for many viewers, any other actor in this role will feel like an impostor.

The Television Budget. The picture lacks scale. Everything looks a bit cheap and simplistic, which is especially noticeable in the action scenes.

Who Should Watch:

True connoisseurs and experts of cinema who love to discover forgotten treasures.

Those who wish to see a different, more grounded and melancholic interpretation of a familiar story.

Those who feel that John Wayne was a bit too "bronze" and want to see a more human version of Rooster Cogburn.

Conclusion

"True Grit: A Further Adventure" is not a loud sequel, but rather a quiet epilogue. It is not an attempt to outdo a legend. It is a story, told in a whisper, about the man who once was that legend. And for this quiet courage and the magnificent performances of Warren Oates and Lisa Pelikan, the film deserves to be taken down from the dusty shelf and re-examined.

Oh my what have they done? Why would anyone take on the awesome responsibility of filling John Waynes shoes especially when he won an Oscar for the role? Warren Oats takes over as Roster Cogburn in this "further adventures" story. He makes no attempt to look like Wayne except for the eye patch. In this film he is sporting a full beard and an equally full buffalo coat. I am assuming that he wanted to add his own take to the character but it fails something awful. The story line is weak. The supporting cast is weak. But most of all Oats himself is weak. I must say that I loved Oats when he did what he was best known for. A supporting player. He was super in the Wild Bunch or Major Dundee. He was known for playing tough, down on his luck rednecks and hicks. Sherif Cogburn was none of that. Wayne played him as a cunning and grizzled gunslinger slash lawman with vim and vinegar running through his veins. Oats portrayal left me searching my stack of DVD's looking for True Grit to get the bad taste out of my mouth from this film. If you are looking for a good, not great western just to amuse yourself pop in a flick like They Came To Cordoba or Rio Conchos. So do yourself a favor. If you ever see this late at night as you are flipping through the channels quick jump up and pop in a western into your DVD player. Any western. It's worth the trip to the DVD cabinet.

I didn't like it. I quit halfway through this one as I found it boring, with nothing happening. I kept waiting for some sort of story to emerge as there didn't seem to be much of a plot to begin with.

There were other things wrong with this movie. In my opinion, Warren Oates was miscast and his performance didn't do the character of Rooster Cogburn justice. In addition, I found the Mattie Ross in this film to be irritating. In particular, she's supposed to be older than the character that Kim Darby portrayed in the original and, presumably, a bit more mature.

This is one movie should be avoided. There are lots of better westerns that are worth watching. This isn't one of them.