True Grit (1969/2010)
TRUE GRIT (15)
D: Henry Hathaway
Paramount (Paul Nathan)
US 1969
128 mins
Western
W: Marguerite Roberts [based on the novel by Charles
Portis]
DP: Lucien Ballard
Ed: Warren Low
Mus: Elmer Bernstein
John Wayne (Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn), Kim
Darby (Mattie Ross), Glen Campbell (La Bouef), Dennis Hopper (Moon), Jeremy Slate (Emmett Quincy), Robert Duvall (Lucky Ned), Strother Martin (Col. Stonehill), Jeff Corey (Tom
Chaney)
It may well have been a sympathy vote which saw John Wayne
win a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in True Grit, but it still can't be denied that it's amongst the most memorable characters of his long-running career.
The veteran actor plays Rooster Cogburn, a hard-drinking
old west gunslinger, hired by a young girl who wants him to avenge her father's death at the hands of a group of bandits.
The narrative is quite slow moving, especially in its
opening act where nothing particularly happens, but the finale is worth waiting for. A remake was released in 2010, starring Jeff Bridges in the leading role.
7/10
TRUE GRIT (15)
D: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Paramount/Skydance (Scott Rudin, Joel Coen & Ethan
Coen)
US 2010
106 mins
Western
W: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen [based on
the novel by Charles Portis]
DP: Roger Deakins
Ed: Roderick Jaynes
Mus: Carter Burwell
PD: Jess Gonchor
Cos: Mary Zophres
Jeff Bridges (Rooster Cogburn), Matt Damon
(LaBouef), Josh Brolin (Tom Chaney), Barry Pepper (Lucky Ned), Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross), Domnhall Gleeson (Moon)
Shorter version of the 1969 film, cutting to the chase
without substituting quality. In fact, I think it's a better film because of it.
The plot is the same. A young girl hires a washed-up,
alcoholic gunfighter to do her killing in the name of revenge.
It's not quite up there with the Coen Brothers' best
work (Fargo, Raising Arizona, No Country For Old Men) but is still an impeccably filmed western with strong performances and meticulous attention to the period. As Rooster Cogburn,
Jeff Bridges delivers a very good performance, but the shining star here is Hailey Steinfeld, delivering one of the best juvenile performances of all time.
8/10
