ROOSTER COGBURN (1975), dir. Stuart Miller

The western genre is often about the battle between freedom and civilization. In “Rooster Cogburn,” which was released in theatres after the cowboy movie had its heyday, the latter is represented by cleanliness, religion, and moral righteousness. Meanwhile, the other side, as one might expect in any film featuring six-shooters and ten-gallon hats, is personified by John Wayne.

The legend plays sheriff Rooster Cogburn as a man set in his ways, which has seen plenty and isn’t about to have his authority questioned, even by a magistrate. He meets his match, however, in a frontier woman named Eula Goodnight, who is played by the equally-great Katherine Hepburn as everything we would expect in a Hepburn character. A preacher’s daughter and schoolteacher possessed of almost innate dignity, she is put off by Cogburn’s slovenliness and other bad habits; that is, until the movie requires them to get along with each other.

As in many westerns, there is an outlaw to be pursued and caught, and this time it’s Hawk (Richard Jordan), who has stolen a wagonload of nitroglycerine in order to commit a bank robbery. An unrepentant sinner by his own words, his posse crashes the small town where Goodnight and her father are working to civilize the natives. A night of liquor-fueled mayhem and bloodshed ensues, claiming both the father and the family of Wolf (Richard Romancito), a young brave. Both end up riding with Cogburn in the pursuit of justice, as well as the chance to see two stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age together on-screen for the first time.

Wayne’s relaxed authority and drawl are perfectly contrasted by Hepburn’s uprightness and northeastern accent, but the screenplay makes their characters opposing forces in many ways: Goodnight belongs to the temperance league, while Cogburn at one point defends himself against accusations of being a souse by claiming, “I haven’t had a drink since breakfast”; in addition, she is a Bible-thumper, which Cogburn shows some aversion to.

But Goodnight does seem to subscribe to the “eye for an eye” brand of justice advertised in the good book, and as it happens, Cogburn has become something of a disgrace for killing far more outlaws than he brings in. Although the screenplay attempts to up the ante by having a judge tell him he must bring Hawk back east alive or lose his badge, that subplot eventually falls to the wayside as the three-person posse pursues the “nitro” across the wilderness.

Indeed, what’s more important is Cogburn finds out the schoolteacher is a crack shot with a rifle, while Goodnight learns that her companion has a pure heart, which excuses his occasional moral lapses. Overall, their relationship gets sentimental but never romantic, although there is occasional nagging akin to some old married couple. By midway through, when Cogburn breaks out his flask, Goodnight makes the remark, “Have you ever an alcoholic’s liver up close?” or words to that effect at him, which seems downright affectionate rather than chiding.

As one might expect, there’s lots of pretty scenery, including forests, mountains, and one dangerous-looking river given the circumstances the characters find themselves in. Director Stuart Miller deserves credit for all that, and for neither interfering with the verbal sparring between Wayne and Hepburn or letting either make a fool of him or herself. Although Wayne does have a scene in which he stumbles about intoxicated, shooting at objects hurled into the air by Wolf, these moments actually lend a certain gravitas to his character. Sporting a considerable paunch and puffy-looking visage, Wayne the screen legend never seemed so interestingly human.

Hepburn, meanwhile, comes across as passionate about her religion but not overly shrill. But clearly, she’s hardcore; at one point, she holds her ground as a ruffian fires at her feet, quoting scripture as he unsuccessfully attempts to make her shut up. Like Rooster, Eula is set in her ways and her independent mind is not easily swayed. We are tempted to nod when he, after they’ve had a particularly-grueling debate, remarks aloud, “If they ever give ’em the vote, God help us!”

Overall rating: *** (out of ****)