Directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon
True Grit (2010)

What’s It About? A U.S. Marshal helps a very determined young girl track down her father’s murderer. 


What We Thought:
Jess: True Grit was a very fun movie, which for me is always the quality that is lacking in classic westerns. Not only is it an enjoyable tale, but it is shot beautifully and meticulously. The strong point of True Grit for me is definitely in the performances. Steinfeld really steals the attention in every scene that she is. Such a strong performance from such a newcomer was really delightful to watch. It really is a feat for her to command so much attention considering she is sharing the screen with Jeff Bridges. He embodies the character of Rooster to a T, and has very great banter with Matt Damon’s character who brings a lightness to this movie. While I did enjoy True Grit, I did think that it was lacking some of the smart Coen Brothers charm that usually accompanies their movies, but it may just be their take on the western genre.


Lindsay: Normally, I am not very interested to see movies categorized as Westerns, they do nothing for me. But True Grit seemed right up my alley: fantastic casting, tense storyline and of course the Coens. After watching TG, I can say that I actually had a lot of fun and it was one of the best modern Westerns I have seen. There was a lot of sly humor and as expected, spot on performances from the cast. Notably newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is outstanding as the very strong willed but still childlike Maddie Ross. The only issue I took with the film is that I didn’t completely fall in love with it. I have a feeling this may be one of those movies that will grow on me with each subsequent viewing, but on first look it seemed it was lacking a little CoBro magic.


Rob: I agree with many people who say this movie is not in line with other Coen Brothers movies, but I don’t think that really takes too much away. They are basing their story off of a novel instead of developing it themselves, so I feel a lot of the change in perception of the movie comes from that. The movie is still really well written and the visuals are great. there is more than one time that I thought the cinematography was beautiful. The movie didn’t really deliver in the way that I would have expected it to, but it delivered a solid film that I really enjoyed watching. I liked it much more than I did A Serious Man, but not as much as The Big Lebowski.


Nick: I’ve never been a Coen Brothers fan. Didn’t care much for Fargo. Couldn’t stand Burn After Reading. Found The Big Lebowski to be tolerable and I’m still on the fence about No Country For Old Men. So when I heard that they were doing a remake of True Grit, I was obviously skeptical. It’s the story of a girl who is after the man who murdered her father. She enlists the help of a US Marshall whose unorthodox ways have given him a reputation of someone who gets things done at any cost. The original starred John Wayne (as US Marshall Rooster Cogburn) and Robert Duvall. So with such a great movie already with such great actors, the bar was set high. Very high.  But after catching an advanced screening in New Orleans, I was incredibly surprised. I’ve already caught flack for saying this, but it was better than the original. Robert Duvall and John Wayne gave great performances, but Jeff Bridges gives the performance of a lifetime as Rooster Cogburn. It’s as if he was born to play the role. Matt Damon provides most of the back and forth between he and Bridges bringing the Coen’s signature humor. You can feel Barry Pepper channel Duvall when he calls out to Rooster at the films climax. It’s such a perfect blend of wit and physical humor that makes this western an instant classic. If you don’t see it in theaters, definitely rent it.
FTS SCORE:
83%
61-89% = 
Really enjoyable movie. It may not be perfect in all aspects but it was worth the watch.