True Grit

This review is going to be short and sweet!

When I heard that the brilliant Coen Brothers directed this remake of the heralded western 'True Grit' I was intrigued as to what they'd do to the old classic to put their mark on it. The result?
NOTHING...

There is no point in explaining the plot as I'm sure most people will have seen the original. It hasn't changed in this 2011 version.
Jeff Daniels portrays the character Rooster Cogburn, played in the original by the enigmatic (and rather annoying) John Wayne and the usually watchable Matt Damon is miscast in the Glen Campbell role.

I never seen the big deal with the original True Grit when I was a kid but watched this version with an open mind. There are no clever Coen Brothers quirks nor is the direction by any means outstanding. In fact, the whole thing is totally pointless. They have basically made an average update of an already average film. They could have done so much here as by the looks of it they were given plenty of money by the studio.

The only redeeming factor the movie has is the stunning performance by 14 year old newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the gutsy Mattie Ross seeking the help of Cogburn to track down her fathers killer. She acts Daniels off the screen and carries the
film.

The Coen Brothers totally disappoint here and were obviously bored and killing time. I can't think of another reason. There are lots of good film makers out there crying out for a decent budget to match their original scripts but yet the studio execs continue to dish out big bucks to high end well known directors. It doesn't always work and True Grit is a prime example. No doubt it'll make money for the studio, especially in the States. The audience however don't gain from this.

Save your money for the next Coen Brothers offering and give this dud a miss!

Score: 3/10