Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, & Barry Pepper
MPAA Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 8 / 10
The debate of whether or not this True Grit is a remake of the 1969 film starring John Wayne has been raging for weeks now. The Coens claim they just used the original source material, the book by Charles Portis, as their inspiration. Now, while I have seen the original film, I have never read the book; thus, I'm not really going to enter into the debate of "remake vs. new adaptation," nor is it a particularly useful argument anyway. Here is all that really matters to me: True Grit (2010) is a beautifully-made film, sporting brilliant performances and a darker edge than its predecessor. Here's what also matters to me: because both the 1969 and 2010 films are so similar and because I know the original like the back of my hand, the 2010 film held less power than it could have, had it been the first to adapt the Portis novel. With most of the narrative and great stretches of dialog being almost completely identical, there are times when True Grit (2010)'s suspense and intrigue are lessened rather significantly. I say this not to be critical of the Coen brothers or their wonderful team, all of whom contributed to make an altogether wonderful film; unfortunately, that's just what happens when filmmakers choose to use already-adapted material for their film.
