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True Grit

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True Grit

Name: True Grit
Director: Ethan Coen
Genre: Western, Drama, Action
Released: 2010
Duration: 1 h 45 min
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld

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Western
Drama

2010
Ethan Coen
105 mins
15

Summary

Remake of the John Wayne western from the Coen brothers, starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. When farmer Frank Ross is murdered by a hired hand, his teenage daughter Mattie decides to take the matter in hand and find a man with "true grit" to bring the killer to justice. Mattie's search leads her to "Rooster" Cogburn, a hard-drinking, one-eyed US marshal with a fearsome reputation.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Jeremy Aspinall

Fans of the Coen brothers could be forgiven for having qualms over the decision to revisit the western that earned John Wayne a best actor Oscar, particularly after the underwhelming reception given to their 2004 reboot of The Ladykillers. But fret not, this is no remake but a faithful dramatisation of the original Charles Portis novel, in which a 14-year-old girl tracks down her father's murderer with the help of one "Rooster" Cogburn, a boozy, gnarled, one-eyed lawman with "true grit". There's certainly a different tone from the original movie - wintry, understated, almost surreal in places (recalling The Night of the Hunter) - but it remains a riveting ride with a fabulous cast. Jeff Bridges is a revelation as Cogburn, comfortably filling the boots of the Duke and then some; Matt Damon also impresses as the pompous but resolute Texas Ranger La Boeuf who's after the killer for his own reasons; and Hailee Steinfeld as spirited, plain-speaking Mattie Ross occasionally outshines her more experienced co-stars. Like all Coen efforts, it's beautifully shot (thanks to regular cameraman Roger Deakins) and has typically quirky moments, but there's also surprisingly droll dialogue here, which leavens the increasingly bleak nature of their journey. The ending is an abrupt one, after all that precedes it, but the glorious final shoot-out between Cogburn and the bad guys (a standout scene in the 1969 film) remains wonderfully intact.

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7.6/10

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Cast

rolenameMarshal Reuben J "Rooster" CogburnJeff BridgesLa BoeufMatt DamonTom ChaneyJosh Brolin"Lucky" Ned PepperBarry PepperMattie RossHailee SteinfeldMoonDomhnall GleesonEmmett QuincyPaul RaeColonel StonehillDakin Matthews40-year-old MattieElizabeth MarvelBear GritEd CorbinHarold ParmaleeBruce Green