John Wayne’s Forgotten Western Sequel Is on Borrowed Time on Netflix

John Wayne starred in Westerns of all shapes and sizes; some were instant classics, while others took their time to make their presence felt. Many of them have aged poorly, but others remain integral to the genre even today. There are, however, several Westerns featuring Wayne that have faded into obscurity as the decades have passed. One of them is a sequel to Wayne’s 1969 classic directed by Henry Hathaway. The movie in question is currently streaming on Netflix, but is scheduled to be removed from the streamer in a few weeks. Completists might want to check it out before then.

The film in question was released in 1975, six years after the original, which grossed more than $30 million at the box office and won Wayne his only Academy Award. The 1969 Western was based on a novel by Charles Portis, which also served as the basis for a 2010 blockbuster directed by the Coen Brothers. We’re talking about True Grit, of course. The 2010 version featured Jeff Bridges in the role of an aging marshal, originally played by Wayne in the 1969 movie. The Duke reprised the role in the 1975 sequel, which was directed by Stuart Millar and also featured the legendary Katharine Hepburn.

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Here’s How Long You Have Left To Watch John Wayne’s Western on Netflix

The sequel was titled Rooster Cogburn, and it followed the aging marshal on another redemptive mission after the events of True Grit. The movie wasn’t as successful as its predecessor, grossing $17 million against a reported budget of $10 million. Rooster Cogburn now holds a 50% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 87% score of the original. The critic Pauline Kael noted that Rooster Cogburn looked like it had been filmed “by a tourist” and that certain shots were “out of focus.” Roger Ebert, on the other hand, seemed more morose in his review. He wrote, “The whole movie seems so contrived, so obviously a vehicle for its stars and for their former, happier roles, that finally we just get depressed. Talent shouldn’t be thrown around like this.” According to FlixPatrol, Rooster Cogburn will leave Netflix on May 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.