Visitors Review

(2012-05-26 06:52)

The DVD is a poorer-Cut-version of the Movie

I have the book, the old John Wayne cut, saw this one a few times in the theaters, and was happy to be able to now purchase the DVD. I was continually disapointed, however, to find small editing cuts which remained in the movie theater version, but for some unexplained reason are cut out of the DVD. Im hoping a future "Director's Cut" might make more of the original available, but why they screwed up a winning version to make what they did remains a mystery to me.

Timeee (2012-05-25 22:49)

So-so

Well, I haven't seen the original 1969 version nor I have read thebook, so I couldn't say what of what I like & dislike about the movieis 'new stuff' and what is copied/adapted.To me this seemed like a decent western, but I was left with an overallambiguous feeling. It was entertaining but it didn't seem realistic atall and sometimes it seemed to go nowhere.For instance could one conceive a bigger 'deus ex machina' than thepost- 'the trail is cold'-discussion 'oh look there they are wateringtheir horses a couple of hundred yards off our camp'-solution ?!? Itjust make no sense. The whole falling into the hole thing + snakebitewas also very theatrical. And one guy against four? First Matt Damon inwhat was a clear suicide attempt than Jeff Bridges being Superman.Don't get me wrong, it's a just story, sure, and it shouldn't beoveranalysed, but maybe I started off with a wrong expectation ofrealism.

spotlightne (2012-05-24 05:48)

Over-rated beyond belief

What a stinker this film is. It was tiresome and painful to watch. Slowand boring.I didn't like any of the characters, unlike the original True Grit.First off, Hailee Steinfeld is a terrible Mattie. She is just soannoying. I don't think this is so much the character's traits. But itis the fact Hailee isn't a good actress.She has been hyped up as some great talent. Far from it, she recitesher lines almost parrot fashion and without any true emotion.Secondly, Jeff Bridges is totally miscast here. The accent he uses isoften incomprehensible. And for much of the film he sounds like KarlChilders from Sling Blade.John Wayne's Rooster was a lovable rouge. Jeff's Rooster is a hobo-typefigure who looks like he pongs rotten. He too recites his lines as ifhe's reading directly from the script. Nothing likable about him onebit.I'm bored already writing about this film, all except it's poop.Unbearably tiresome, bleak, vacant and stale.No wonder it won nothing at the Oscars. Finally the Panel saw sense toignore it. So do yourself a favour and watch the 1960s version.

ca_skunk (2012-05-23 12:49)

What did he say?

Mercyah81's comment, "Bridges, you couldn't understand a damn thingthat came out of his mouth," was right on the money. I bought the DVD,and after about 20 minutes I turned the closed-captioning on so that Icould understand what the hell Bridges was saying.One of the best parts of the movie is the hanging at Fort Smith. Thetwo condemned white men get to say their last words, but when theIndian tries to say something, the executioner yanks the hood over hishead then walks over and pulls the lever. Very authentic mindset for amovie based in 1880.The part where they found the guy hanging 50 feet off of the ground,and the ensuing body-trading, was just plain weird. It added nothing tothe movie.

(2012-05-22 22:27)

dialogue here is King

This is not going to compare and contrast the two movies. I know people stand on each side of that, and I do not want that element in my review because it is showing partiality between two good movies. Thanks. A 14-year-old girl finds her father murdered by a man he trusted. After claiming the body for 60 dollars, she steps up and determines that she has to become the insturment of justice or her father will have none. In doing so, she teams up with a marshall, a ranger, and sets out into the unknown.When True Grit came out, I had high hopes for it. The directors clout alone says that this should eb a grea tmovie, and I really was not disappointed. The one thing I was surprised by was the fact that I laughed quite a bit while watching it, and I found myself not being bored. It had great narration, great dialog, and great acting moving that one thing forward. If it had not been that way, I wonder what would have been - thankfully I did not have to ponder that in the really real.The acting in this movie shines, and it makes you really think about how good some of these people can be. Jeff Bridges was the standout amongst everyone, with his portrayal of a man that had grown drunk and cocky and fatter with time, but was still full of fire and grit. The same can be said of the girl that hires him, with her not only presenting a formitable front but also doing great narration. Matt Damon was good but he seemed a little stale in some places, but even that worked in favor of the man standing in that Ranger's badge.The plot itself was easy to follow, but some things happen that you might not expect. I enjoyed that, too, and I liked the fact that the ending was not predictable. Like many Coen movies, I thought I might know the ending but I wasn't sure. I did think one thing, however, and that was that there was a link in the types of endings they had been presenting. Perhaps that says something on them or their views or just what they like. Whatever it is, I find I like it as well.The effects are nice, too, and it has some violent portions. It really does not have to have these and does not rely on them, sticking to dialogue more than anything. this earns it an easy 4.0/5 stars in my book, and is easily worth watching. I could say a lot more but fear giving something away and will stick with this and my recommendation.Thank you

chaka4612 (2012-05-22 11:43)

The Duke would be proud

Last year I watched the original version of True Grit starring JohnWayne and thought it was okay, but I wasn't too impressed. I've beenlooking forward to see how Jeff Bridges portrays Rooster Cogburn inthis remake. After watching his performance, I have to admit that I wasvery impressed. True Grit is an amazing movie and one of the best Ihave seen in years.The Coen Brothers adaption has their trademark style to it. There areten times as many goofy and quirky characters in this movie that inNapolean Dynamite. All of the characters are very intriguing andentertaining. The acting was great and I also appreciated the dialoguetoo.Bridges did an amazing job of portraying the crusty old Ranger. Damonwas also great and I hardly recognized him in his role. I loved thebanter between the two lawmen throughout the movie. There are somegreat quotes in this movie and I was surprised at how much humor therewas for such a serious plot. Hailee Steinfeld plays the young girl whohires Cogburn to track down her father's murderer and bring him tojustice. She personified "true grit" more than any other character. Shewas the main reason I liked this version so much more than theoriginal.The only two minor hangups I had with this movie was the encounter withthe "bear dentist" who spoke like he was tripping on LSD and the abruptending. Aside from that, I was mesmerized during every scene and havenot seen such an entertaining movie in a long time.This is one of the few movies I have seen where I didn't find myselfcriticizing the movie for hard to believe effects or story line. It isvery graphic and has a very realistic feel to it. I give True Grit 9.0well deserved stars.

mercyah81 (2012-05-20 00:28)

True Grit? Truly Overrated

I consider myself a movie buff and have seen many a good western in mytime . Sadly I feel this is not one of those movies . Instead of a longwinded review, ill keep it brief. Bridges , you couldn't understand adamn thing that came out of his mouth. Brolin was on screen for theonly ten good minutes of the film. Damon was laughable, and the girlhad no character development so although her acting was good, hercharacter was annoying. Now the story; you have the girl mouthing offthe first half hour, then her and Bridges, and yes sometimes Damonfrolicking across the desert for an hour and ten minutes. So thatleaves about five minutes of the real story we've been waiting for. Theending leaves little or no closure. I found myself bored and restlessduring the movie. I also find myself wondering what drug everyone is onto find this movie so "amazing". Please save your money and go watchsomething else instead.

(2012-05-19 04:17)

Not Bad for a Western!!!

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(2012-05-18 03:33)

Great Movie!

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this movie. If something has amazing reviews then it usually ends up falling short for me, as I have high expectations. I am glad to say, True Grit, lived up to the hype. I really loved the characters in the movie and I loved the cast that played them. The story is about a young girl that is after the man that killed her father. There are some really brilliant scenes in this movie. Jeff Bridges is at his best again. The one thing with westerns is that they can get very cliche at times, but this movie never does that. I don't feel like I am watching something I have seen in X other amount of westerns. This is a fantastic movie and I highly recommended it.

851222 (2012-05-17 13:29)

Amazing film. And Jeff Bridges is THE MAN

Greetings from Lithuania.This is an amazing film. Won't going to tell the story, just wanna say,that this is my favorite film so far by Coen brothers, and one of thebest in 2010-2011.Jeff Bridges ABSOLUTELY steals the show creating one of the mostmemorable characters in a movie history - Rooster Cogburn (didn't sawJ.Wayne) and the whole cast is just Great! This is a movie making atit's best. Every single aspect of this movie works, works like ihaven't seen in a long time. Cinematography by Roger Deakins isamazing. If i wouldn't be a fan of "Inception" i would say that this isthe best cinematography of the year. And writing of Coens aresomething... almost brilliant.And once again, J.Bridges, man, dude, you just FEEL his presents on thescreen, now THAT is real actor, REAL person man, it's not like thesenew shining pretty "Twillight girls/boys" if you now what i mean.Totally respect for this man.Overall, two BIG thumbs up!!!

johndallas (2012-05-16 03:30)

never saw the original but...

I never saw the original True Grit but was Mattie Ross as obnoxious asportrayed in the remake? The story is fairly well done and enjoyable asis the cinematography. I'm not a huge fan of westerns but this one keptmy interest well enough. I think Bridges and Damon did a fine jobportraying their respective characters but Mattie Ross seemed a bitgreen. I didn't find myself believing her character. Her whole personawas that of an obnoxious child who gets whatever she wants. I think herstubbornness could have been accomplished in other ways that would makeher character more likable and relatable. At any rate, the movie was"ok" overall, nothing spectacular and nothing horrible either. I'm sureit will be enjoyed by most people who are fans of this genre.

(2012-05-15 16:55)

True Grit

I actually don't really like Westerns, but I loved this movie. It had great casting, dialogue, scenery, and a good storyline. There may have been a few quirks here and there, but not enough to keep this from being a five star movie to me.Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is a fourteen year old girl who has come to town to collect the body of her father. In addition to this, she is on a mission to also find his killer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin)and see him hanged. To do this, after asking around, she hires dubious lawman (although he supposedly has grit) Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). After much argument on whether she can go on the trip or not, they set off with the addition of a Texas Ranger La Beouf (Matt Damon) who has been in pursuit of Chaney since he killed a man in Texas.They don't stay together long though. La Beouf and Cogburn just rub each other wrong and they split up, with Mattie staying with Cogburn. They encounter plenty of danger and with Cogburn's senses sometimes not the best from drinking, Mattie has her doubts. Chaney has taken up with a gang of robbers and the stakes become even higher. Mattie realizes just what kind of danger she has gotten herself into, but is still determined to capture her father's killer.The characters were all very well cast in this movie. The fact that Mattie was an unknown was excellent, and she did an amazing job that let you really connect with her character. Jeff Bridges was funny as Cogburn and he really pulled off the gruff, funny Marshall well. Matt Damon's character was a bit annoying, but I think that maybe he was supposed to be.The scenes were all shot in beautiful places and there was only one that seemed out of place. The scene with snakes was kind of fake looking, but luckily it wasn't that long of a scene. They played mostly instrumental music throughout the movie but it fit in nicely with the different scenes. Weak stomached people or people with young children should take note however, this movie contains a lot of violence and gore that is not shielded from viewers eyes.I definitely plan on adding this movie to my home collection. It's one I could watch over and over.Review by M. Reynard 2011

mikethevike (2012-05-14 17:10)

A slow moving realistic western with excellent performances...

This movie has great potential for being judged, not based on its ownmerits, but on whether you are in the pro- or anti-Coen club, part ofthe John Wayne fan club, worshiper of the original movie etc.I have seen the "original" and thought it was a good movie but not agreat one. John Wayne's acting never seemed more than adequate to me...He never expanded his repertoire beyond being himself so his RoosterCogburn is just "John Wayne" as are Chisum, MacLintock, Brannigan,Cahill, McCandles and numerous other characters he played. Jeff Bridgesis a far better actor with the ability to portray a wider spectrum ofcharacters but he does not have the icon status and quasi-religiousfollowing that John Wayne has, and which invariably affects the opinionmany will have of the movie.Thus I feel it best not to compare the two movie adaptations of thebook to avoid the irrational emotions associated with what might appearto some as a blasphemous attack on the "Holy Grail" of John Waynemovies.The movie is a "dark" western, with excellent acting, very realisticsettings, a depressing "period" look, brilliant dialogs, a slow paceand a compelling story. The Coen brothers have not put as much of theirusual quirky twists in this movie as I expected. I see it more as theirtake on the Western genre just as Miller's crossing was their forayinto the 1930s gangster movie genre, an exercise in style and moviemaking perfection without any other purpose than to see if they couldmake a great western... I think they did. I rank it with Unforgiven,McCabe & Mrs Miller and Once upon a time in the West as one of myfavorite westerns of all times.

(2012-05-14 08:34)

This Should Be A Classic

This review is from: True Grit (DVD) If you like the good old west genre with plenty of action, you'll love this. The characters are believable, the scenery and horses are gorgeous!I will watch it many times, over the years.

(2012-05-14 05:31)

Original still better

Bridges is (annoyingly) always eating and smacking his lips in his roles. Every time I watch one of his films he's smacking his lips. That aside, he's OK in this film, but overacts and isn't entirely convincing as Rooster Cogburn. John Wayne is, on the other hand, John Wayne and is perfect in the role in the original film. Although over exposing the film in No Country For Old Men contributed an appropriate "washed out" visual effect, the same effect in this film makes the countryside disappear while the scenery in the original was captured in magnificent cinematography. After seeing each recently, I think the original is the only one I'll watch again.

(2012-05-13 16:26)

The Coen brother's are back

I had a bad christmas and was sick of the drama. I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie ,because burn after reading was so terrible( in my opinion). And no country for old men was well written, but the ending left me angry. This film plays like a spaghetti/western/comedy believe it or not. Jeff Bridges doesn't even try to be John Wayne, instead he plays the part like a skilled comedian ,but treads softly enough with the jokes so as not to become cartoonish. All throughout the movie, they play differant versions of leaning on the everlasting arms.Which is a interesting foil to the violent story unfolding on screen. The only complaint I have is Matt Damon, who I usually like is very annoying, and I kept wishing his character would die already.I smell an oscar nomination or two for Bridges or the very BRILLIANT young Ms. Steinfeld,(Mattie Ross) I think is she plays her cards right,she could end up in the ranks of Meryl Streep.

(2012-05-10 18:06)

Good movie and worth watching. but not what i expected

This review is from: True Grit (2010) (Amazon Instant Video) i never saw the original. so i had expectations of a gun slinging western movie. but it wasnt meant to be that kind of a movie. i think for what they were trying to achieve they did a very good job. the young girl who goes on the trail with jeff bridges to find her dads killer was fantastic. look for her in future films. i thought matt damon was perfect in his role, and complimented jeff bridges who was the main character. yes, there is a fairly long time before you see any real action. but the movie is not about killing, the fastest gun, or a saloon where everyone meets up for gossip. keep in mind it is simply a movie about a young girl who is extremly bright, wants justice for her father, and hires a bounty hunter to catch him. matt damon joins them as a texas ranger and adds plenty to this film. and the end is where you see some action, but it is only a side note for the intention of this film. i wont go into detail or ruin the ending. its really the journey with the bounty hunter, texas ranger, and most importantly the young girl who lost her dad. its the journey and the stories that keep you going until the end. jeff bridges is funny as a drunk, matt damon is funny as a prideful ranger and straight as an arrow. and finally the young girl who is way to serious and years before her time. but that is what makes her character funny even when she doesnt know she is being funny. it is a western but more of a story about a young girl who lost her dad. and ends up on a journey for justice. i liked it a lot and worth every dime. the acting was great. worth every cent......

theumpteenthtimes (2012-05-10 03:44)

True Filmmaking

By now, you've probably read of how the Coen Brothers' latest versionof the Charles Portis novel, True Grit, greatly differentiates from theoriginal version starring longtime cowboy, John Wayne. The Coens,again, as they had with Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men,remain as faithful to the book as catholic sons to their mother. Notall, but most of the dialogue comes directly from Portis' pages. Someliberties are taken as far as the action, but the overall tone andstory itself is fairly precise. In contrast to the technicolor versionmade by Hollywood director, Henry Hathaway, in 1969, the Coens bringdarker colors to the story. This trip that 14-year old, Mattie Ross(Hailee Steinfeld), has chosen to embark on is no adventure. It is amanhunt in which men are slaughtered and life is a fragile, tradablething. There is also humor in the film, however, as there is in thebook. Mattie's highly developed vocabulary, as well as RoosterCogburn's (Jeff Bridges) wickedly funny tongue, makes for amusingconversation amongst the main characters. Newcomer, Steinfeld,surprisingly holds her own in some of the funnier scenes with two ofHollywood's best: Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.This film may not be a Coen Brothers original. And it may not be asdense as A Serious Man or Barton Fink, but it is still a finely craftedfilm of the highest caliber. After reading the novel several times, Icould hardly imagine anyone else making this picture. It suits theCoens' sensibility to a tee. And although, in the end, John Wayne isstill one of the greatest cowboys of all-time, Jeff Bridges' portrayalis much more multi-dimensional, bringing to light Cogburn's slovenlydrinking habits, as well as many of his other imperfections.

dug_nichols (2012-05-09 21:36)

Re-Doing a Classic WHY?

I will say that this is a movie worth renting. It is a good time-fillerand does a much better job of following the book than the first movie.That being said, it just wasn't as fun. Did I enjoy the originalbetter…duh…YES…it was The Duke…really, come on. I was shocked to hearthat this movie was being re-done – this should never been allowed tohappen. But now that it has, I guess I need to assess it. I rented thenew version once, watched it once, enjoyed it once and will neverwillingly watch it again. Granted there are some excellent movies onecan watch only once like: 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', or 'TheSixth Sense', but the original, 'True Grit', I can watch that over andover. Jeff Bridges did a pretty good job although he did tend to mumblea lot…but I think that is how he delivers his lines in all of hisrecent movies. Matt Damon…good job…he definitely a delivered stellarperformance. Overall I am saddened they re-did such a classic.

Jay Ahmad (2012-05-09 07:45)

Dreadful waste of time.

Got sucked in by the buzz and what a snow job it was. This movie has no heart, no character, no entertainment value at all. A soul less remake. Bridges played this role last year, and last year you could actually understand his lines. He speaks like his mouth is full of marbles. Just as well, im guessing, since the Coen's didnt seem to think it was important enough for us to actually understand his words. I have no idea why Matt Damon or Josh Brolin are in this movie. They bring nothing to the table. And the girl who plays the lead is emotionless..too much wit and snide and not enough passion. I never feel vested in her search for her dad's killer. Do NOT fall victim to the hype. Any one who tells you this movie was entertaining or enjoyable probably thought the emperor's new clothes were the finest silks as well!