TRUE GRIT
by Michael B. Druxman on 06/12/11
June 13, 2011
I watched the 2010 version of TRUE GRIT last night...and I did enjoy it.
Comparing it to the John Wayne original:
Certainly the Coens Brothers have taken a darker, less humorous approach to the material.
I really liked the look of this new picture, and Matt Damon was much better as the Texas Ranger than was Glen Campbell.
The young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) was terrific. If she keeps her head on straight, she could be a big star some day.
John Wayne or Jeff Bridges?
Wayne was a bit more fun in the role, but it's really a toss-up. Both actors were excellent.
I liked the score in the original much more than the music in this picture. In fact, a few months back when Jeff Bridges was making the rounds at the various talk show to promote the picture, the intro music they played when he walked out was from the John Wayne version of TRUE GRIT.
Go figure!
As an overall film, this new version is probably slightly better than the original, but Wayne's movie was very good, too, and is a minor classic. That makes me wonder:
Why bother remaking this story at all?
I know that this remake did fantastic at the box-office, but if you want to make a Western there are plenty of other, new stories out there.
In today's movie market, we're lucky if we get one Western per year, so:
Why remake a hit?
You have a creative day.
Michael
