DVD reviews: 'True Grit,' 'Rio Bravo'

John Wayne's belated Oscar came for 1969's True Grit," a rousing entertainment that didn't stand quite as tall as, say, "Red River" or "The Searchers." Paramount rereleased the western in a double-disc set that's part of the studio's 100th-year Wayne promotion with Warner.

The Duke plays one-eyed bounty hunter Rooster Cogburn. Valley girl Kim Darby plays a teen bent on avenging her father's death. Darby, who gives a sensational performance, stood toe-to-toe with Wayne onscreen and off, the bonus features note.

The extras aren't deep, but the docu "Working With the Duke" does a decent job of positioning "True Grit" in Wayne's sunsetting career. The images of Colorado (2.35:1) are suitably sweeping and majestic. An extra feature returns to some of the "True Grit" locations, such as the graphic triple hanging.

Warner's revival of the Wayne-Howard Hawks collaboration "Rio Bravo" comes on strong as well, with versions on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD. The remastered Technicolor images (1.78:1) are faithfully on the dark side -- everything feels like it's shot in a red-booth restaurant. The high-def versions add a lot of contrast and some sharpness, but there's a whiff of colorization that might unsettle purists.

Read the full "True Grit"/"Rio Bravo" review.