True Grit

Strong on detail. The Coen bros offer something more than a story about a spirited girl who wants to revenge her father’s death. They are talented in delivering the goods in ways as yet unseen. And Jeff Bridges should have gotten that golden baldy this year for his iconic portrayal of Rooster Cogburn. Otherwise an excellently acted (really great Hailee Steinfeld) adventure drama packed with great lines, which is surprising just where you aren’t expecting. Your fifty dollars gone. Gone the whiskey - seized in evidence. (2011-05-25)

Maybe I need to apologize to the Coens or something. I saw True Grit in the movie theatre some time ago, wasn't too impressed, gave it three stars, praised the actors, Deakins and Burwell, complained about the lack of originality, that it was not in the Coens’ style, and the weird epilogue... That was it. But today I watched the DVD, and the complaints are almost gone. I don't know why that is. Maybe I already knew what I was getting into beforehand, and I wasn't expecting what I was expecting before the movie theatre screening, so I enjoyed myself. True Grit suddenly had great momentum and, in addition to the "execution", "hanged man", "Indian children" and "dentist" scenes (the latter especially), I was suddenly appreciating everything in between. Suddenly I found myself smiling for two hours, and at the end I was moved like a little boy. Just that epilogue, though... (2011-09-22)

A meaningful remake. A tribute to the original from the Coen brothers, but also they realize the mistakes of the original and certainly do not repeat them. They avoided a long introduction, and got rid of the landscape backdrops and the overall naivety. A dusty, tough atmosphere reigns, where harsh words fly from all angles. The Coens put their money on the characters, which turned out to be the right choice because, unlike the original, they gave them some depth (Wayne was just Wayne with a gun belt, while Bridges is actually Cogburn, and it’s the same with everybody else) and none were sidelined. This makes emotions important, while in the first version they were rather absent. And despite the outstanding performances of all those badass macho types, it is fourteen year-old Hailee Steinfeld who steals the movie (and who has the biggest balls). (2011-01-01)

I'd been meaning to rewatch True Grit for quite some time, continuously putting it off until today. Yes, the Coen brothers once again struck gold with me. This type of western typically has an intriguing start and a powerfully action-packed ending, with a lengthy bridge of seemingly endless wandering connecting these islands, gradually lulling the viewer to sleep. However, with this movie, I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the bridge, and the credit for that undoubtedly goes to the screenwriters, as well as Jeff Bridges, and Hailee Steinfeld. These two delivered engaging and convincing performances and dialogue throughout the journey, making the nearly two-hour runtime race by. Oh, I almost forgot, Matt Damon was also there. The fact is, whether there was shooting, talking, or just beans, I had a great time again with this western. / Lesson learned: If you want to be properly buried, don't die in winter. 4*- (2022-07-18)

Even though western is far from my favourite genre, I was looking forward to True Grit, if only because it would be my first opportunity to see a story from the Wild West on the big screen. The execution is above-par, but that shouldn’t be a surprise, the Cohens know how to make movies. Unlike most viewers, though, I had a serious problem with the actors, everyone except Jeff Bridges. Damon, Brolin and the praised all the way to heaven Steinfeld felt… robotic. They just didn’t fit into the western setting, I didn’t believe they were people, I only saw characters written on paper. This leads to another complain I have: the epilogue. In the last five minutes the Cohens try to squeeze emotions and they do it in an unexpected way. In the cinema I didn’t get the dramatic intention, but now it’s clear and I appreciate it somehow because it’s fairly untraditional, but that doesn’t alter the fact that it didn’t work on me. True Grit disappointed me in the same way that No Country for Old Men did three years ago. I prefer the Cohens in comedy :) (2011-02-26)