Member daisho2004 Posted December 29, 2010 Member Share Posted December 29, 2010 OK I just came back from seeing this movie tonight, and I thought it was Great. Not a whole lot of action but a great storyline, the Girl played by new comer Hailee Steinfeld was excellent. Jeff Bridges you couldn't get enough of him, and Matt Damon's role was a perfect fit for him. Definitely a must see movie. Now I cannot compare it to the original movie with John Wayne because I didn't see that yet, but I will this week. Full Synopsis 14-year-old mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) joins an aging U.S. marshal (Jeff Bridges) and another lawman (Matt Damon) in tracking her father's killer into hostile Indian territory in Joel and Ethan Coen's adaptation of Charles Portis' original novel. Sticking more closely to the source material than the 1969 feature adaptation starring Western icon John Wayne, the Coens' True Grit tells the story from the young girl's perspective, and re-teams the celebrated filmmaking duo with their No Country for Old Men producing partner Scott Rudin. Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Michael L. Posted December 29, 2010 Member Share Posted December 29, 2010 I don't know about this... it got shut out of the Golden Globes (and they tend to think much more highly of the Coen brothers than I do) while the original won Wayne his Academy Award. I don't mind remakes when there is a novel or some other famous source material, but I think this is a case where people only know True Grit because of the movie and it's sequel (Rooster Cogburn). The novel had only come out the year before the film was released and it isn't widely read anymore. I'm interested to hear how you feel about the original given that you haven't seen it yet. People talk about the cast of the new one and ignore that the original included not only John Wayne but Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Glen Campbell (who isn't bad at all). Has anyone read or heard about Charles Portis' (the author of True Grit) take on the remake? I'm 99% sure he is still alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted December 30, 2010 Author Member Share Posted December 30, 2010 OK well now I can compare the (2) movies, I just finished watching True Grit with John Wayne. Now both movies were almost identical, the scripts pretty much mirrored each other. Yes there were a few differences more so of how it ended. But not much. Its hard to say which one was the better of the (2) both are great movies. I will say that the bond between John Wayne's character towards the girl Mattie was more of a Grandfather towards his Granddaughter, you can see how much he adored her more. Jeff Bridge's was more Cold and hardened, but still he played a great part. Overall if you seen the new one definitely see this one as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted January 9, 2011 Member Share Posted January 9, 2011 I was disappointed. Maybe I was expecting more action. I found there was not just a lot of dialogue, there was too much of it. Some stuff could have been trimmed. The girl was probably the best part of the movie, at least for the first half. Then it drags in the middle, and the final confrontation felt unsatisfying. There was so much build up, and it just kind of unfolds in a mediocre manner. The last section of the film was pointless. Ever since No Country For Old Men, I haven't been too pleased with the Coen Bros output. I miss the old days of Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski, and even O Brother Where Art Thou, when they mixed zaniness with violence. There recent films have just seem to lack direction and are trying too hard to be Oscar contenders. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I find the Coen Bros inability to take anything dramatic seriously offputting (or seriously offputting) - as if they risk their cred by not for a second being ironic and 'cool'. Does True Grit suffer the same fate - or is it a proper drama? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Member Share Posted January 9, 2011 Now as I stated when I started this post, I said there wasn't a lot of action, and after comparing it to the original it was pretty much a carbon copy. I was hoping for something more, after seeing the 1st. one not the same movie again. I agree that the action should've been better or at least have some more shooting scenes in it. And Yes the Little Girl made this movie hands down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted January 9, 2011 Member Share Posted January 9, 2011 I should probably warn of Spoilers LOL! I'm still watching the original. I guess part of the disappointment was the initial buildup of what seemed like a guy who was going to kick some arse. Okay, I get it, he's getting old, he's not really what he used to be, but it seemed like false advertising. And everything after the killing of Josh Brolin's character seemed like filler, regardless of whether it was in the original movie or book. Maybe it was poorly edited, I just felt there was so much opportunity for this film to show some True Grit, but in the end it lacked the Grit it seemed to indicate it would have. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Space Posted January 9, 2011 Member Share Posted January 9, 2011 Good movie, but as said above, seems like too much dialogue compared to the action. Honestly though, I prefer spaghetti westerns to the Lonesome Dove/Larry McMurtry kind of western, which is where True Grit lies. It seems like nobody tries to make a western with a sense of cool anymore, it's all Irish piano ballads, prairie wranglin' and folksiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted January 9, 2011 Member Share Posted January 9, 2011 Good movie, but as said above, seems like too much dialogue compared to the action. Honestly though, I prefer spaghetti westerns to the Lonesome Dove/Larry McMurtry kind of western, which is where True Grit lies. It seems like nobody tries to make a western with a sense of cool anymore, it's all Irish piano ballads, prairie wranglin' and folksiness. That remake of 3:10 to Yuma was pretty good. Action-wise it was great. It didn't move me in the acting department, but it was an entertaining film. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Member Share Posted January 10, 2011 I know everyone was hoping for a Tombstone type of Western but we didn't get that, I was hoping for that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Shaolin Chamber 36 Posted January 10, 2011 Member Share Posted January 10, 2011 I enjoyed True Grit, was really impressed mostly by the young girl in the film, she gave an excellent performance. I didn't realize until after that it was a remake of an old John Wayne movie. I am not really into westerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Space Posted January 10, 2011 Member Share Posted January 10, 2011 That remake of 3:10 to Yuma was pretty good. Action-wise it was great. It didn't move me in the acting department, but it was an entertaining film. KFS I haven't seen it yet but I'll check it out now, maybe it'll be more in line for what I want out of a western these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Noelle Shadow Kick Posted January 14, 2011 Member Share Posted January 14, 2011 Really what makes True Grit worth seeing is an amazing Jeff Bridges and a likable Matt Damon. I had personally wanted more of a western and less of a bad ending, but oh well. I didnt find the ending satisfying at all. As for the old True Grit, again it's pretty much the same movie only with a different ending. I'd say the new one has far better acting though. Bridges is better than Wayne, and Damon is miles ahead of Campbell in these movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted January 14, 2011 Author Member Share Posted January 14, 2011 Noelle Shadow Kick: Its really hard to compare John Wayne to Jeff Bridges, but I do again with you about Damon & Campbell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Noelle Shadow Kick Posted January 14, 2011 Member Share Posted January 14, 2011 Noelle Shadow Kick: Its really hard to compare John Wayne to Jeff Bridges, but I do again with you about Damon & Campbell. I think you can compare them when they are playing the same role. I wasn't speaking in general about their careers. While I'm aware that True Grit is the role that won Wayne his Oscar, I don't think he displays any particularly spectacular acting ability. In fact, even John Wayne didn't love the movie. Wayne tends to play very similar roles in his films, where I think True Grit showcased Bridges' range. I'm certainly not saying that John Wayne is bad, but I think Bridges' portrayal of Cogburn was a much more distinct personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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