Who was Better in 'True Grit?' John Wayne Versus Jeff Bridges

John Wayne has a pair of boot-prints that would be difficult for any actor to follow in, even a dedicated actor like Oscar winner Jeff Bridges. Of all of John Wayne's rolls, the actual character name most directly relate to him is Rooster Cogburn. John Wayne portrayed Rooster Cogburn both in a 1975 film named for the character and in a 1969 film named "True Grit." The 2010 release "True Grit" is a Coen brothers adaptation of the same book the previous film was based on.

Many critics such as Roger Ebert in the Sun Times have already commented on the stark realism presented in the 2010 release versus the slightly dramatized version offered in 1969, and joint fans of the western genre as depicted in both films and books have found that the Coen brothers more faithfully brought the author's original book to life.

So far though, direct comparisons of the performance of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn versus John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn have not been as widely discussed outside of an overall film review. Again, it is hard to directly compare a contemporary actor like Jeff Bridges to an American icon like John Wayne, but it is possible to discuss each actor's portrayal of a character.

Jeff Bridges portrayed Rooster Cogburn very well. He managed to portray the character of a rough, disheveled and largely uncaring peace officer - a peace officer completely uninterested in peace. Everything about his appearance from his helter skelter hairstyle and unruly beard to his shabby bedstead and his dingy long johns helped add to his characterization. However, one can never truly get past the fact that Jeff Bridges is acting.

Conversely, John Wayne was so closely related to the character of Rooster Cogburn personality wise that he did not have to act too far outside of himself or his previous characters to embody the part. This makes a western so much more believable.

John Wayne's portrayal was alternatively condescending, friendly or gruff when dealing with Mattie and would snap from one emotion to the other in the space of sentence. His dealings with LeBoeuf featured the same temperamental back and forth. Notable examples of this are seen when Mattie confronts a drunk Rooster Cogburn the day after her initial payment and when LeBoeuf feels the need to spank Mattie.

When Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn is angry, it seems less intimidating and more like a plot necessity versus the actual snap to anger one could honestly see a hulking man like John Wayne demonstrating. Since so much of the movie is built around this personality contradiction of Rooster's, it is a bit off-putting.

However, since the Coen brothers could not leave "True Grit" as a 1969 western classic, they likely picked the best man for the job in Jeff Bridges. No other popular actor of his age would have been as suited to the role. Even though Jeff Bridges is not John Wayne, a fact acknowledged more than once by Jeff Bridges himself, his performance is still solid within a film that is engaging to watch despite the recycled story.