Quote:
Originally Posted by
JLibourel 
I re-read the novel in anticipation of seeing the movie. I must say that both John Wayne and Jeff Bridges are rather miscast in the role of Rooster Cogburn. The story is set in 1878. It states in the novel he was 43 at time and had ridden with Quantrill during the war. Both actors playing the role have been men in their 60s. I should think that few, if any, of the survivors of Quantrill's band would have been sexagenarians in 1878. Also, in the novel, it states that he was very fat. I don't think Jeff Bridges is particularly fat.
He's not America fat, but he was fat for that time... certainly fat for a man who as a tracker and bounty hunter would go days eating just a few hundred calories. I remember in Crazy Heart the doctor told him to lose some weight too. He's just been on fire as of late. What amazes me is that those guys could nail a biscuit 20ft in the air, shooting from the hip. To me, that's just amazing... but I'm just a city slicker. I'm deadly accurate with a 9mm from 12-15 feet at a range, but how those guys (I'm guessing they could) shoot is just astonishing to me. Also, how would a lasso rope prevent snakes from getting at you in your sleep?