LogFAQs > #957405577

Did someone say True Grit 2010?

#10. True Grit (2010) 87 points

CoolCly 8
KBM 9
Pokewars 10
Johnbobb 12
Karo 13
Inviso 15
Stifled 20

Very poor plot synopsis:
NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG NAG THE REMIX

Why it was included:
As I mentioned before, comparisons are a major part of this list. My goal was to show all of you some of the past and some of the present. The Two Grits might be the most interesting comparison at all because, by all accounts, this is nearly a shot for shot remake of the original. No matter your opinion on remakes, reboots, and other such things, certain aspects of True Grit definitely benefitted from a remake. Was it necessary, however? Well, a lot of people certainly thought so. True Grit 2010 became the highest grossing Coen Bros movie and the second highest grossing western of all time behind Dances With Wolves. Yes, you read that right. Second highest grossing western. Not to mention it received high praise from critics and was nominated for TEN Academy Awards (it didnt win any of them, but still!). So suffice it to say, the second coming of the Rooster earned its spurs here.

What Stifled thinks:
True Grit? More like True Shit mirite?! lololol



Nah, Im just joking.

I certainly wasnt as fond of this as Im predicting the other rankers will be, but it was still worth a watch (twice, actually). As I mentioned before, the Two Grits are very interesting to compare with each other. While I normally detest remakes and reboots, the action sequences of True Grit 69 needed a fresh coat of paint. There was some janky camera work, especially in that final charge near the end. True Grit 2010 was up to the task, and made those scenes infinitely more watchable. This is especially true of the cabin sequence, which felt a lot more focused than the clusterfuck of the original. LA BEEF getting his ass handed to him in a fight instead of being made to look like a moron by shooting a horse was much preferred. Speaking of, Matt Damon is worlds better in this role than Glen Campbell was. Granted, the character is still a fucking creep at first, but Damons performance gives the viewer a much better transition from creep to decent dude. Additionally, the Coens decided to stick to the novel and keep LA BEEF alive at the end. I think I prefer it that way.

But how about Mattie and the Rooster? Well, I think it depends on what you want from these characters. I actually preferred the original Mattie to the new one because she came off as more of an intelligent threat, at least in my opinion. Additionally, Mattie 69 showed more vulnerability and let her characters age shine through to remind the viewer she truly wasnt an adult. Mattie 2010 remained stiff throughout and lacked any vulnerability, which I found odd. And Rooster? I think Rooster 69 gets my vote. Rooster 2010 is great for a more grizzled version of the character, but I found Bridges attempt at a southern accent to be far too cotton-mouthed to understand at times. Wayne, on the other hand, was a nice mixture of grizzled and humorous. I wasnt sure at first if I wanted the character to crack so many jokes, but it strangely worked for me. The one thing Bridges DOES have, however, is more vulnerability. John Wayne tends to want to be mister badass the whole time and not get shown up by anyone. As a result, LA BEEF was portrayed as a joke to be shown up by Rooster. Yet in the remake, Roosters inadequacies are highlighted far more, where LA BEEFs are toned down. I think I actually liked that balance more. Wayne wins by a hair, but if Bridges took the marbles out of his mouth, he may have clinched it.

One thing I absolutely did not like about the remake, however, was the narration. I am a huge believer of show, dont tell. The beginning scenes impact was lessened because of it and the endings emotional blow would have been more effective without it. So while I still prefer this version overall due to the nice quality of life fixes for the action scenes, its not a big win. The two are very close to each other.
---

Bear Bro
The Empire of Silence