The severely wounded Ned has enough strength to shoot Rooster's horse, trapping Rooster's leg under him as Bo goes down. Cogburn eventually kills the Parmalee brothers, with 'Dirty Bob' fleeing. In the initial head-on charge, Cogburn hits Ned in the chest above the heart. Calling this 'bold talk for a one-eyed fat man' (Cogburn wears an eye patch), Pepper enrages Cogburn, who delivers one of cinema's classic lines: 'Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!'Ĭogburn charges the four outlaws, guns blazing. Cogburn gives Pepper a choice between being killed now, or surrendering and being hanged in Fort Smith. La Boeuf finds and takes charge of Mattie, and they watch from a high bluff as Cogburn confronts Pepper and his gang of three. Mattie is convinced Rooster has abandoned her.Ĭogburn and La Boeuf double back. Pepper leaves Mattie with Chaney, instructing him not to harm her. Pepper and his gang arrive, Pepper takes charge of Mattie and threatens to kill her if Cogburn and La Boeuf don't ride away. Chaney lunges at Mattie who attempts to fire again, but her gun misfires and she is taken hostage by Chaney. She shoots Chaney with her father's gun, injuring him, and then calling out to her partners. Fetching water one morning, Mattie finds herself face-to-face with Chaney. The two lawmen and Mattie resume their pursuit.

Cogburn tries, unsuccessfully, to persuade Mattie to stay at McAlester's. Cogburn, La Boeuf, and Mattie make their way to McAlester's store with the dead bodies. A firefight ensues, during which Cogburn and La Boeuf kill two of the gang, but Pepper and the rest of his men escape unharmed. Upon arriving, Pepper is suspicious and draws La Boeuf's fire, who ruins their planned ambush by shooting and killing Pepper's horse. Before he dies, Moon reveals Pepper and his gang are due at the cabin that night for fresh mounts. Quincy slams a Bowie knife down on Moon's hand to shut him up, severing four of his fingers, then stabs Moon in the chest. Moon is shot in the leg during the capture, and Cogburn uses the injury as leverage for information about Pepper. Cogburn captures and interrogates the two men. The two try, unsuccessfully, to ditch Mattie.Īfter several days, the three discover horse thieves Emmett Quincy and Moon, who are waiting for Pepper at a remote dugout cabin. She gives Cogburn a payment to track and capture Chaney, who has taken up with outlaw 'Lucky' Ned Pepper in Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma).Ī young Texas Ranger, La Boeuf, is also pursuing Chaney and joins forces with Cogburn, despite Mattie's protest. Mattie earns the money to pay his fee by shrewdly horse trading. Mattie has heard that Cogburn has 'true grit'. Ross's young daughter, Mattie, travels to Fort Smith, where she hires aging U.S. In 1880, Frank Ross, of Yell County, Arkansas, is murdered and robbed by his hired hand, Tom Chaney. The title song, sung by Campbell, was also Oscar-nominated.Ī remake of True Grit was released in 2010, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, and Josh Brolin. The cast also features Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Corey and Strother Martin. Marshal Heck Thomas, who brought in some of the toughest outlaws. Historians believe Cogburn was based on Deputy U.S. Wayne won his only Oscar for his performance in the film and reprised his role for the 1975 sequel Rooster Cogburn.

The screenplay was written by Marguerite Roberts. It is the first film adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, Glen Campbell as La Boeuf and Kim Darby as Mattie Ross. True Grit is a 1969 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway, starring John Wayne as U.S.

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