When I first saw "True Grit" when it was released, I must admit that I was confused. All the trailers and commercials portrayed it to be this dark, gritty* western, which it wasn't. Having now watched it for a second time years later and after having seen the 1969 John Wayne version, I can say that this movie is amazingly good. Everything that is good about the 1969 version (and there is a lot good about it) is improved on in this film. Jeff Bridges is a little too over the top as "Rooster" Cogburn, but his "too much" is better than John Wayne's "too little." Mattie is played perfectly as a sassy, know-it-all who gets her way by being stubborn that you can't help but be annoyingly pleased. Matt Damon as LaBoeuf is hilarious in his ineptness and Texas arrogance. The dichotomy that the Coen brothers craft between a very gritty** looking western story and humorous characters and dialogue is fabulous. This unique combination suits them very well. One element that sets this movie truly above the 1969 version is the emotion it elicits. The opening scene and monologue carry just as much story and so much more emotion than the opening 10 minutes of the earlier version. Just like John Wayne riding against Ned Pepper and his gang, Jeff Bridges riding against them is just as great (if not better). But when we are drawn into Jeff Bridges racing Mattie to safety afterwards, we all but forget that showdown in favor of the less exciting, but ultimately more emotional journey. Aided by a great script, memorable secondary and even tertiary characters, and talented filmmakers in the Coen brothers, "True Grit" is a spectacular movie.
*Gritty! Get it?
**Gritty! Get it?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/
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