John Wayne, unjustly denied even an Oscar nomination for outstanding work on Red River and The Searchers, took home his statuette for letting his gut hang out and putting on an eyepatch as Sheriff Rooster Cogburn, a has-been reprobate hired by a little girl (Darby) to bring in bad man Robert Duvall.
While it's broad comedy rather than real acting, Wayne's performance is mainly a delight, especially when he turns into John Wayne and puts the reins between his teeth so he can blast away with both guns at the scurvy likes of Dennis Hopper. Darby makes an impression as the oddly-mannered child but singer Campbell is a dull secondary good guy.
