True Grit (2010)

As a fan of the original and really liking revisionist westerns I couldn't wait for True Grit. Unfortunately, despite fantastic art direction the film is flat and boring. Bridges mumbles and slurrs his words so much that you can't understand what he's saying half the time, Damon has very little character with which to play with and the young girl has only one scene which is any good in the entire film. She's not a bad actress, it's the direction which is at fault. This film is bland, slow and immensely boring. It's such a shame. I was so looking forward to it. As for all the awards and accolades, well all I can say is that it's a case of the Emperor's New Clothes - in a year or so I figure this will be a largely ignored film no one really remembers all that fondly. I'll take the original over this rehash any day. The script incidentally seems to ape the original so closely it is amazing that the film seems so drab and such hard work to watch. Thumbs very much down, I'm sorry to say.

The Coen Brothers and Jeff Bridges team up again to give another Brilliant Movie after the All Time Classic that is The Big Lebowski.
True Grit is a traditional Western like they use to make, with this movie they not tried to make it modern or anything of the sort.
They have just presented a very good story, with excellent Direction, First Rate Performance and Stunning Cinematography.
And that is the main appeal to the movie, alongside the performances on display.
The Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges as the gruff mumbling Rooster adds another memorable performance to his array of quirky performances.
He is followed in hot pursuit by the also Oscar Nominated Haillee Steinfeild who gives quite a Remarkable performance as the Protagonist of the movie, her dialogue delivery is like machine gun fire. Matt Damon lends some comic support as the Dufus like Sheriff with a very high opinion of himself.
Only downside is that Josh Brolin is a little wasted in this movie.
So anyway an Excellent Western, and a Top Movie to watch and Enjoy if you're not even into your Westerns

To be perfectly honest I have never seen the John Wayne original.
There's a simple reason to this and that's because I'm not a fan John Wayne movies, he seems to play the same part in every film, l also have to admit that I'm not the Coen brothers biggest fan.
I loved Fargo but No Country For Old Men bored me to tear's and to add insult to injury I'm not a massive fan of westerns!
So why would I spend time on a remake of a film that starred an actor I did not like, made by Directors I consider as overrated and a genre I could take or leave.
Simple......It's because True Grit is a modern classic!
It's miraculous that so many people paid to see it when so many recent westerns have failed at the box-office.
The film goes back to the original source of the novel and crafts a tail of revenge and redemption.
This is a deeper darker version of the old west.
The acting is exceptional Jeff Bridges excels as the booze-pickled "Rooster" Cogburn who is paid by fourteen year old Mattie (Hailee Stenfeld) to hunt down the man who killed her father.
In this Coen's version the west is a cruel place, where human endeavour is futile and best laid plans go wrong. This version of the west is no place for a one eyed old man let alone a teenage girls.True Grit tears over its parched earth, saddling up with the old-school pleasures and brilliant plotting.
This film is epic but running at 110 minutes the reins are held tight. The casting in this version is the master-stroke.
John Wayne played Cogburn in the original versionas John Wayne the screen Icon. Bridges out-acts Wayne on every level as he puffs out his chest and slumps into a baccy n booze slurred voice to perfection, with his snow-thick beard and best the best eye patch warn since Snake Plisskin. Bridge's display's a causal cruelty that Wayne dare not: witness the scene where Cogburn kicks a Native American boy smaller than his boot off his front porch. It's an outstanding reckless performance.
Matt Damon also shines as LaBoeuf, the lawman to Cogburn's drunkard.
Amongst this pedigree of seasoned actors it's the young Hailee Steinfield who steals the show, showing such controlled intelligence that transcends far beyond her fourteen years.
The overall result is a film thats depth draws the audience into a very real depiction of the old west of sheer viewing pleasure, that is enriched by brilliant darkly comic touches.
This is the kind of film making we all long for and thought was long gone, this is fantastic story telling that will always be welcome for repeated viewing.
It's not only a classic western it's also a modern classic!
See If You Like........
Once Upon A Time In The West.
Unforgiven.
Appaloosa.
Open Range.
The Assassination Of Jessie James.
3:10 To Yuma.
Tombstone.
Wyatt Earp.
Deadwood.

To be perfectly honest I have never seen the John Wayne original.
There's a simple reason to this and that's because I'm not a fan John Wayne movies, he seems to play the same part in every film, l also have to admit that I'm not the Coen brothers biggest fan.
I loved Fargo but No Country For Old Men bored me to tear's and to add insult to injury I'm not a massive fan of westerns!
So why would I spend time on a remake of a film that starred an actor I did not like, made by Directors I consider as overrated and a genre I could take or leave.
Simple......It's because True Grit is a modern classic!
It's miraculous that so many people paid to see it when so many recent westerns have failed at the box-office.
The film goes back to the original source of the novel and crafts a tail of revenge and redemption.
This is a deeper darker version of the old west.
The acting is exceptional Jeff Bridges excels as the booze-pickled "Rooster" Cogburn who is paid by fourteen year old Mattie (Hailee Stenfeld) to hunt down the man who killed her father.
In this Coen's version the west is a cruel place, where human endeavour is futile and best laid plans go wrong. This version of the west is no place for a one eyed old man let alone a teenage girls.True Grit tears over its parched earth, saddling up with the old-school pleasures and brilliant plotting.
This film is epic but running at 110 minutes the reins are held tight. The casting in this version is the master-stroke.
John Wayne played Cogburn in the original versionas John Wayne the screen Icon. Bridges out-acts Wayne on every level as he puffs out his chest and slumps into a baccy n booze slurred voice to perfection, with his snow-thick beard and best the best eye patch warn since Snake Plisskin. Bridge's display's a causal cruelty that Wayne dare not: witness the scene where Cogburn kicks a Native American boy smaller than his boot off his front porch. It's an outstanding reckless performance.
Matt Damon also shines as LaBoeuf, the lawman to Cogburn's drunkard.
Amongst this pedigree of seasoned actors it's the young Hailee Steinfield who steals the show, showing such controlled intelligence that transcends far beyond her fourteen years.
The overall result is a film thats depth draws the audience into a very real depiction of the old west of sheer viewing pleasure, that is enriched by brilliant darkly comic touches.
This is the kind of film making we all long for and thought was long gone, this is fantastic story telling that will always be welcome for repeated viewing.
It's not only a classic western it's also a modern classic!
See If You Like........
Once Upon A Time In The West.
Unforgiven.
Appaloosa.
Open Range.
The Assassination Of Jessie James.
3:10 To Yuma.
Tombstone.
Wyatt Earp.
Deadwood.

A magnificent Western which is also not a remake of the John Wayne 1969 film, but a re-adaption of the original novel by Charles Portis - one which also sticks much more faithfully to the book than the previous film did.

The story is simplicity itself - 14 year old Mattie Ross (an astounding debut by Hailee Steinfeld who should have won the Oscar she was nominated for) takes it upon herself to hire the gruff Rooster Coogburn (the excellent as ever Jeff Bridges) to help her track down and take revenge on the man who murdered her father.

Expertly directed by the Coen brothers this is a truely wonderful piece of cinema, one of those shining examples where everything comes together in virtual perfection. From the photography by Roger Deakins, score, production design, the performances across the board and the direction this is already one of my favourite films of the year and I'll have no hesitation in buying it as soon as it gets released.

Don't get bogged down in the fact there's already a film version out there, take this for what it is - a completely respectful and brilliant new adaption.

dont expect a masterpeice,but what a good movie.
the only gripe i have with this film is that at times i really couldnt
understand what jeff bridges was saying.it did spoil it a little for me.

The three leads are superb but the film is far from it. wouldn't recommend it. I personally love westerns but this was far from anything good.

I write this review with a heavy heart! I was so much looking forward to it, being a western fan. It's not a bad movie but so...disappointing. Little action and questions: where does the Texas ranger disappear to for a while? I feel short changed by the film.
I admire Jeff Bridge's acting skills but, for me at least, he doesn't touch Wayne's character as Rooster Cogburn!
I must watch it again in a few month's time.

I was looking forward to this film as i already have the John Wayne version, but what a dissapointment nowhere as good as the origional, sometimes i wonder why the film makers make remakes as quite a lot of the time it never works, they went off the origional storyline at times and for me it did not work for me, thats the negative side of the film, the possitive side was the actiing a very good performance by Jeff Bridges and the other main actors, this was the only positive thing that kept me watching untill the end, but overall very dissapointing

I was so looking forward to this remake, being such a fan of the original. The relationship between Rooster and Mattie lacked any kind of depth and didn't develop at all. I can honestly say I could not understand a single word that Jeff Bridges said throughout the film. I thought Matt Damon was very insipid, and despite the story running very closely to the original it was sooooo boring. Extremely disappointed - give me John Wayne any day............