True Grit

True Grit

It is one of the year’s best films, hands down. Leave it the Coen brothers to keep both the “true” and the “grit” in their rendition of this superb remake. Just because the art of filmmaking has evolved dramatically over the past 41 years since the original “True Grit” doesn’t mean the new version will outdo the old. More often than not, it usually doesn’t. However, in the opinion of this reviewer, the new “True Grit” is better than the first—and on so many levels.

Jeff depicts Cogburn as the cantankerous, fearless U.S. Marshall with his own inimitable style, a bit darker and more human than Wayne’s portrayal, and for the second year in a row, he’s almost certain to be a contender for the Best Actor Oscar®. (He won it last year for “Crazy Heart.”) Supporting him was the also tight performance of Matt Damon, whose movies have now banked more than 2 billion dollars in Hollywood. After coming off of “Invictus,” with his stellar performance last year, he has taken another character, made famous in the original by Glen Campbell, LaBoeuf (pronounced “LaBeef” in the film) and made it his own.

Positive- Tried and true story, great screenplay and absolutely fantastic acting from everyone involved—what's not to like? Bridges, Damon and Brolin all did excellent jobs, but Steinfeld stole the show. She just nailed the part of Mattie.

Neutral- The original John Wayne film is a great classic, this new film, while enjoyable to watch, missed many of the finer points in the original film. There were too many changes from the original, especially the end that would disappoint those who found the original a great classic.

Negative- Reluctantly, I cannot recommend this movie. While it actually opened with a verse from Proverbs on the screen, and included hymns as a backdrop throughout the movie, it just didn't capture my interest much. I saw, and enjoyed, the original with John Wayne many years ago, but this version didn't match up.

My Score- 7.5/10