Mia Patel
The Coen Brothers' adaptation of True Grit, based on Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, features an outlaw henchman who can only communicate by making chicken noises. This character is one of many in the film who defy the traditional Western movie stereotypes of good guys and bad guys. The chicken guy is one of the many complex characters in the film, who, along with Rooster Cogburn, LaBoeuf, and Mattie Ross, form a network of ever-shifting relations.
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What You'll Learn
- The character of Rooster Cogburn is a drunken, one-eyed US marshal
- Cogburn is hired by 13-year-old Mattie Ross to find her father's murderer
- Rooster Cogburn was played by John Wayne in the 1969 film
- In the 2010 film, Cogburn is played by Jeff Bridges
- Cogburn risks his life to save Mattie from a rattlesnake bite
The character of Rooster Cogburn is a drunken, one-eyed US marshal
In the 1969 film adaptation, Cogburn is played by John Wayne, who won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance. The character is depicted as an ageing, alcoholic, one-eyed US marshal. In the film, Cogburn is hired by Mattie Ross, a young girl, to apprehend her father's killer. A sequel, titled Rooster Cogburn, was released in 1975, again starring John Wayne.
The Coen Brothers directed a second film adaptation, released in 2010, with Jeff Bridges playing Cogburn. In this version, Mattie hires Cogburn, an elderly drunk, and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf to help her track down her father's murderer. At the end of the film, Mattie is bitten by a snake, and Cogburn carries her to get help.
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Cogburn is hired by 13-year-old Mattie Ross to find her father's murderer
The Coen Brothers' adaptation of True Grit, released in 2010, is based on the 1968 Western novel of the same name by Charles Portis. The film's protagonist, 13-year-old Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld), hires two men to help her track down her father's murderer: the ageing, one-eyed, alcoholic U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and the young, arrogant Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon).
Mattie's father is murdered by his hired hand, Tom Chaney, who flees into Indian Territory with "Lucky" Ned Pepper and his gang. Seeking justice, Mattie travels to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where she inquires about hiring a deputy U.S. marshal. The sheriff gives her three recommendations, and Mattie chooses the "meanest" one, Rooster Cogburn. Cogburn initially doubts her wealth and her grit, but she manages to raise the money by aggressive horse trading.
Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who is also in town pursuing Chaney for the murder of a Texas senator, proposes joining Cogburn, but Mattie refuses his offer, insisting that Chaney be hanged in Arkansas rather than Texas. Despite this, Cogburn departs with LaBoeuf to apprehend Chaney and claim the reward. Mattie catches up with the lawmen, and Cogburn draws his weapon on LaBoeuf after he spanks her for her "insolence".
The film received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its acting, directing, writing, score, and production values. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Jeff Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), and Best Director, but ultimately won none.
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Rooster Cogburn was played by John Wayne in the 1969 film
The character of Rooster Cogburn was played by John Wayne in the 1969 film adaptation of Charles Portis' novel, 'True Grit'. The film was directed by Henry Hathaway and starred Kim Darby as Mattie Ross, Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf, and Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Corey and Strother Martin in supporting roles. Wayne's performance as Cogburn earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
In the film, Cogburn is an ageing, one-eyed, alcoholic U.S. Marshal hired by Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl, to track down her father's murderer. Cogburn is described as "double-tough, knowing no fear", and his character is believed to be based on Deputy U.S. Marshal Henry "Heck" Thomas, who brought in some of the toughest outlaws.
John Wayne was enthusiastic about playing Cogburn, but as production neared, he became nervous as the role was outside his comfort zone. Director Henry Hathaway calmed his doubts, particularly about wearing an eye patch. Wayne eventually wrote to the screenwriter, Marguerite Roberts, thanking her for her "magnificent" screenplay. He also fell in love with the horse he rode in the film, a two-year-old chestnut Quarter Horse gelding named Dollor, and went on to work with the horse in several more Westerns.
The 1969 film spawned two sequels: 'Rooster Cogburn' in 1975, starring John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, and 'True Grit: A Further Adventure' in 1978, a made-for-TV movie starring Warren Oates. A second adaptation of the novel was released in 2010, directed by the Coen Brothers, with Jeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn.
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In the 2010 film, Cogburn is played by Jeff Bridges
The 2010 film True Grit is an adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 Western novel of the same name. The Coen Brothers' version of the film stars Jeff Bridges as the ageing, alcoholic, one-eyed U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn. Bridges' performance received mixed reviews, with Rex Reed of the New York Observer criticising it as "mumbly, lumbering, and self-indulgent", while Entertainment Weekly described it as "tasty enough to leave movie lovers hungry for more". Bridges was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards and the film received nine other nominations, including Best Film.
In the film, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires Cogburn, along with Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), to track down her father's murderer, Tom Chaney. Cogburn is described as a "notoriously double-tough, knowing no fear, drunken badass". At the end of the film, Mattie is bitten by a snake, and Cogburn carries her to safety. Cogburn is willing to risk his life to save Mattie, demonstrating his loyalty and bravery.
The character of Rooster Cogburn was first portrayed by John Wayne in the 1969 film adaptation of True Grit. Wayne's performance earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Wayne's enthusiasm for the role was documented, although he did have some doubts about portraying the character. Rooster Cogburn also appeared in two sequels: 1975's Rooster Cogburn, starring Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, and 1978's True Grit: A Further Adventure, starring Warren Oates.
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Cogburn risks his life to save Mattie from a rattlesnake bite
Rooster Cogburn is a character in the 1969 film True Grit, played by John Wayne, and in the 2010 remake, played by Jeff Bridges. In both films, Cogburn is a drunken, one-eyed U.S. Marshal hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross to track down her father's killer, Tom Chaney.
In the film's climax, Cogburn risks his life to save Mattie from a rattlesnake bite. After Mattie kills Chaney, she falls into a cave and is bitten by a rattlesnake. Cogburn sucks out the poison and makes an incision around the fang marks, before putting her on his horse and riding through the night to get her medical treatment. The horse eventually collapses from exhaustion, and Cogburn mercy-kills it with his revolver. He then carries Mattie a long distance to get her to a doctor, saving her life.
In the 2010 film, Mattie loses her arm due to the snake bite and is left with a spiritual wound that marks her as kin to the one-eyed Rooster—both have had the world take pieces of them away. Cogburn's actions in saving Mattie's life demonstrate his "true grit" and his willingness to give his life for hers.
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Frequently asked questions
The "chicken guy" in True Grit refers to an outlaw henchman who can only make chicken noises.
No, the chicken guy is a minor character.
The chicken guy appears in a few scenes, mainly as comic relief, but does not have a significant role in the plot.
It is not explicitly stated in the movie why the character only makes chicken noises. One possibility is that he is unable to speak due to a physical impairment. Alternatively, it could be a choice made by the character due to a mental or psychological condition.
