This movie is a very ambitious undertaking by the Coens who are perhaps the best ambitious project writers & directors around. That this would be compared to the original TRUE GRIT & that Jeff Bridges would face comparison with John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn was inevitable.Yet this is a different TRUE GRIT. Not in major story line but rather in the personalities as displayed in the book. Truth be told, the original, which I love, was much more John Wayne does John Wayne in TRUE GRIT than it was John Wayne becomes Rooster Cogburn in TRUE GRIT. The Coens set out to make a movie truer to its literary source & in that they have succeeded.
I heard one complaint that Jeff Bridges would never be anything but Lloyd Bridge's son to a reviewer. How prejudicially blind. For one thing Jeff Bridges is a far better actor (able to change personality to fit a role) than his father & most certainly exceeds John Wayne who was a TOWERING screen presence but had to be cast as John Wayne or look & sound poorly. Wayne's voice was far beyond his control. Bridges will never equal that presence but who can?
I heard that there were times when Bridges speech was hard to understand. Are we to send him to the alcoholic school for elocution? Of course he was difficult to understand, he was a raging drunk as in the book, not the grinning drinker Wayne played. Quite frankly it reminded me of the time I read a review that stated a certain girl walked around & looked vacant which made the show poor. She was playing a withdrawn girl with deep emotional problems, duh!
This movie is a marvelously period perfect movie & the outdoor shots are the equal of any good western around. Matt Damon gives his best performance doing the Texas Ranger according to the book, and he became a better actor in doing so. Josh Brolin & Hailee Steinfeld (who is a great foil for Bridge's Cogburn) makes no mistakes in their portrayals either.
This is a master piece of literary translation & a tremendous job of casting, acting & photography. I see so many shows now that have too many close-ups with no facial expression to see. Not so here. They made good use of close ups.
If you intend to go see this & judge whether it is the equal of the original, you will be disappointed. It's not meant to be a modern original. This show is its own interpretation of the story of True Grit. If you intend to judge Bridges or any other character on whether they equaled the original you are wasting your time. This movie is an entire show on its own. It is the book in video images & the combination of personalities make a complete story. I loved it.
In honor of The Duke who is unmatched in force & stature, I respectfully withhold a 1/2 star from this show. I think the Coens might be willing to accept that.
4 1/2 STARS.
Unfamiliar with the story? Probably not, but here's a quick run down. Fourteen year old Mattie Ross arrives in town to claim the body of her father who has been gunned down by a notorious outlaw. Local law enforcement seems ineffectual and the culprit (Brolin) has set off into Indian territory to parlay with another band of renegades (led by Pepper). With dogged persistence, Mattie strikes up some financing and hires Deputy Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to track the man down for her. Seems like she's got a little vigilante justice on her mind! But a Texas Ranger (Damon) is also in pursuit and the three form a tenuous, and ever shifting, relationship as they track their prey.
To me, the book's greatest asset has to be Mattie Ross--an undeniably unique narrative voice. While the Wayne version features a plucky Kim Darby in the role, the film is largely a vehicle to showcase The Duke. Rooster Cogburn was to become his late career iconic role and the film won him an Oscar. Bridges does well with the cantankerous Cogburn, but the Coens have delivered the film back into the hands of the delightful Mattie Ross. As portrayed by the strong and stoic Hailee Steinfeld, who has deadpan earnestness down to perfection, she is front and central where she belongs. Steinfeld has been receiving some justified accolades as one of this year's finest supporting actresses--but, make no mistake, this is the lead role in every conceivable way. Her interplay with Bridges is a true delight and her relationship with Damon brings surprising depth.
All the performances are solid, I especially liked Brolin's small but pivotal role as the catalyst for the entire expedition. The film looks and sounds great. The screenplay is tight and amusing. If anything, the ending seems a bit rushed--it's boom and we're out of here with a flash forward that doesn't really feel cohesive to the rest of the picture. But I had a lot of fun with "True Grit" and think Steinfeld is one to watch. It may not stand as one of the Coens' idiosyncratic masterpieces (to my mind, anyway), but it is certainly a successful and appealing film on every level. KGHarris, 12/10.
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...much the same as Rooster.Fortunate for me, the last time I saw the original I was just a small lads and therefore felt no guilt for insufficient reverence or fidelity to The Duke. My thought going in was that it would be a good time to revisit the original version. Half way through Bridges and Steinfeld were creating such compelling characters that reading the book came to mind. By the end of it however both notions dropped away. Not now; much too soon. The zen of True Grit 2010 is aging nicely and unblended in the oak-charred-whiskey-barrel of my psyche.
This is 5 stars if ever there was one. I am admittedly a Coen-head but the juxtaposition the Coens, setting, music, and a cast of superb players creating truly unforgettable characters make this the best movie of its kind I have ever seen. I am reluctant to declare it THE best movie I have ever seen in my life but in five weeks watching it every Saturday night I can recall none to surpass it. This is where the guilt kicks in because repeat short-span movie watching is a personal taboo; I could not help myself on this one. My standing applause to all involved with this film, especially Bridges, Steinfeld, Daymon as well the fabulous complimentary cast, Mathews and Pepper especially stick out.
It is a powerful interpretation of the time and place appropriately ratcheted up for entertainment value and masterfully done. The characters range from audacious, colorful, and subtle; but all are authentic. I think there are some Faulkner-esk touches to the story. I plan to make a study of the book after the emotional attachment to the Coen version fades to a manageable degree.
Of the few knits that I have seen picked from professional critics two of them are;
Mattie was too modern and `you are not the boss of me'. I found her temperament to be commensurate with her apparent education (e.g. writ of replevin) and her objective. The event that triggered her mission would plausibly fortify an extra measure of pugnacity and independence. I saw no deviation in any of her character qualities taken collectively.
The other criticism was that the outdoor panoramas seemed washed out. I thought they fit the season; slanted and diffused winter light. That was consistent with the winter light coming in the window at Cogburn's testimony.
I ditto these insightful contributions already well articulated by other reviewers with which I fully concur;
"...the most emotionally engaging movie they've ever made, including Fargo." [the movie left me with my chest laid open as if by a scatter gun]
"...What elevates this movie from the original is the closer following of the source material: Charles Portis' novel. It isn't perfect, but the Coens portray a much darker, grittier time and circumstances." [and often times a more tragic world; I think the dirty coats, muddy boots, greasy hair, rotten teeth, and dialogue without contractions were excellent cinematic enhancements.]
"...Jeff Bridges is NOT John Wayne, and, that being said, makes a much better Rooster than John. John was restricted by what he could do as an actor acting in the time the film was made. Jeff is not under such restrictions...." [clear cut best actor of the year imo]
"...Hailie Steinfeld.... She handles the old-fashioned language well, does not suffer at all from misguided efforts to be cute or charming, and never seems like a modern kid playing dress-up, a fault I frequently find with child actors in period films." "...astonishing in her confidence and command at 13 years old of a starring role with a lot of difficult dialogue and plenty of nuance in the complexity of her character." [at one point I marveled at the authenticity of the facial expression she produced when Mattie took an insult; she will capture your heart like Dorothy in WOZ but for totally different reasons]
"...Carter Burwell's music in `True Grit' just every bit as perfectly fit the characters, the events, and the surroundings and atmosphere in this film as it did in the sweeping hit `The Alamo'" [piercing and almost haunting in its contribution] this movie has been a treasure to me!
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In my world, the arrival of any film by the estimable Coen brothers is a welcome sight. But I must admit, I was a little surprised when I heard they were taking on a new version of "True Grit." In a sly way, however, it made sense. I have always felt that the 1969 John Wayne film version underserved the subversively comic masterwork by Charles Portis. I thought that perhaps the Coens were, thus, the ideal pair to bring the cynicism, eccentricity and subtle humor of this fine novel (and underrated American classic) to the big screen. The Coens assembled a big-name cast including Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin for this incarnation that manages to be true to both the source novel and the previous film--but isn't really a definitive new vision. However, that said, this "True Grit" is a solidly constructed and very entertaining western that has a lot to recommend it.Unfamiliar with the story? Probably not, but here's a quick run down. Fourteen year old Mattie Ross arrives in town to claim the body of her father who has been gunned down by a notorious outlaw. Local law enforcement seems ineffectual and the culprit (Brolin) has set off into Indian territory to parlay with another band of renegades (led by Pepper). With dogged persistence, Mattie strikes up some financing and hires Deputy Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to track the man down for her. Seems like she's got a little vigilante justice on her mind! But a Texas Ranger (Damon) is also in pursuit and the three form a tenuous, and ever shifting, relationship as they track their prey.
To me, the book's greatest asset has to be Mattie Ross--an undeniably unique narrative voice. While the Wayne version features a plucky Kim Darby in the role, the film is largely a vehicle to showcase The Duke. Rooster Cogburn was to become his late career iconic role and the film won him an Oscar. Bridges does well with the cantankerous Cogburn, but the Coens have delivered the film back into the hands of the delightful Mattie Ross. As portrayed by the strong and stoic Hailee Steinfeld, who has deadpan earnestness down to perfection, she is front and central where she belongs. Steinfeld has been receiving some justified accolades as one of this year's finest supporting actresses--but, make no mistake, this is the lead role in every conceivable way. Her interplay with Bridges is a true delight and her relationship with Damon brings surprising depth.
All the performances are solid, I especially liked Brolin's small but pivotal role as the catalyst for the entire expedition. The film looks and sounds great. The screenplay is tight and amusing. If anything, the ending seems a bit rushed--it's boom and we're out of here with a flash forward that doesn't really feel cohesive to the rest of the picture. But I had a lot of fun with "True Grit" and think Steinfeld is one to watch. It may not stand as one of the Coens' idiosyncratic masterpieces (to my mind, anyway), but it is certainly a successful and appealing film on every level. KGHarris, 12/10.
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Before I get into the meat of my review let me say that the Western is my favorite genre of film. I own the blu-ray of both the original John Wayne version of True Grit and this version. People who say the original is "better," in my opinion, just have "good old days" syndrome. There is nothing about the old one that is superior.Let's start with the story line. The Coen brothers much more accurately capture the depth and genius of Charles Portis' novel. The small details and nuances make this film's adaptation of the novel much more rich and rewarding. The boarding house lady (and her boarding house), Yarnell Poindexter (and his interactions with Mattie), the undertaker, the hanging, the sheriff, the stable boy, and more are all examples of this film creating a much more 3 dimensional and accurate story.
Next, this movie is one of the most beautifully shot films you will have seen. Roger Deakins' cinematography is brilliant. Look at the courtroom scene as just one example. Where the 1960's film is very "Hollywood does the old west" with everything looking like a set from Bonanza, this film looks absolutely authentic. They recreated Fort Smith to a T and the scenes during pursuit of Tom Chaney actually look like Arkansas rather than Colorado and California.
Third, the dialog is absolutely superior. Keeping faith with the Portis novel, and in typical Coen brothers fashion, the dialog is terrific and VERY accurate to the period. People don't realize that even the "uneducated" in the 1800's spoke with a vocabulary and formal sentence structure that today's college graduates would find challenging.
Last, the actors. This is where people have their sacred cows. No objective observer can honestly say that John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn was better than Jeff Bridges. John Wayne wasn't a gruff, drunk, hardened ex-con turned lawman. He was John Wayne with an eye-patch. I love John Wayne, but in terms of an actor portraying a Character, Jeff Bridges absolutely nails the character. He's an uncouth, unshaven, unbathed, smarmy, drunkard who happens to be a heck of a lawman and someone who truly does have uncommon "grit." Likewise, Hailee Steinfeld is a much more realistic Mattie Ross from her hairstyle to her dress to acting to her age.
I don't have the time to describe all the ingredients that make this a superior film. The more times I watch it, the better it becomes because I keep noticing even more attention to detail and quality in storytelling and filmmaking.
If you like westerns, this is a must have!
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