Rooster Cogburn (...and the Lady)

AH,THEY DON'T MAKE MOVIES LIKE THIS ANYMORE! Jump-out-of-your-seat action. Mind-tingling suspense. Great dialogue that keeps you roaring with laughter for days. And a simple, pure love story that gradually comes to the surface once all the grit, grime, fussing and fighting have all been washed down. These are the ingredients of ROOSTER COGBURN...AND THE LADY.
One of the most interesting facets of this movie that always makes me watch it over and over again is the relationship between John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn. Though they initially exchange snotty quips back and forth over their differences of opinion, they gradually overcome their prejudices against each other and begin to find comfort and excitement in the differences displayed between them. John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn is a whisky drinkin', shoot-first, think-later gunman with a mouth that's, shall we say, definitely anything but genteel, while Miss Hepburn's character is that of an old, Bible-quoting spinster who, interestingly enough, manages to find a Biblical way to justify her desire to search out and punish vengefully the murderers of her father, a priest. It is precisely this juxtaposition of Hepburn's character's beliefs that causes the viewer
to chuckle at, not only her manner of speaking, but also her audacity in suggesting that, in her particular case, revenge would be sanctioned by God.
John Wayne's character, however, is just as equally intriguing. On the surface, he portrays himself as being harsh, lacking respect for women; rude, lacking common decency; and unabashedly hard-nosed and stubborn. In reality, though, there's a softness in his heart that progressively reaches out to Hepburn's character in the kindest, gentlest way, causing the sparks to fly between the two.

A great western. And a great love story. ROOSTER COGBURN....AND THE LADY.