Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Matty Ross (Kim Darby) is the apple of her father's eye and when he's murdered by Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) she wants justice. Headstrong to the nth-degree, the teenager hires U.S. Marshall "Rooster" Cogburn (John Wayne) and insists she's part of the posse. Cogburn grudgingly approves but Matty isn't happy when he allows an inexperienced Texas Ranger (Glan Cambell) into the group who's in search of the same man for a murder in Texas.

John Wayne was one of Hollywood's most beloved stars and appeared in over 150 films between 1926 and 1976 and won his only Academy award for his portrayal of the cantankerous "Rooster." While his performance is quite good, I think he was better in The Searchers and Sands of Iwo Jima, but I'm glad he won it. The film is very entertaining and the chemistry between Wayne and Darby is outstanding and it was fun to see Dennis Hopper and Robert Duvall as the bad guys.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Vibrant color palette, especially green
• Deep blacks
• Excellent detail
• Occasional soft shot

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Front-heavy track
• Surround channels provide minimal ambience
• Limited dynamics
• Intelligible dialog

Given its age, this film looks quite good on Blu-ray with its strong point being fine detail. You can see every stitch in clothing and every facial pore. The remixed audio track is decent, although gunshots don't pack much of a punch.

Bonus Materials

• Audio commentary with Jeb Rosebrook, Bob Boze Bell, and J. Stuart Rosebrook
• True Writing featurette
• Working with the Duke
• Aspen Gold: The Locations of True Grit
• The Law and the Lawless featurette
• Theatrical trailer

The Blu-ray release of this film coincides with the Coen brother's remake that's receiving rave reviews. While it will be hard-pressed to improve this entertaining film I can't wait to do a comparison sometime in 2011. If you're a fan of the Duke this is a must have for your collection. Recommended.

Release Date: December 14, 2010
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 8/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 7/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics