The Smackdown
Apparently, if you need to track down a bad guy in the wild west, your absolute best shot at success is to hire a misogynistic one-eyed alcoholic. Whether you watch the old or the new True Grit, that much seems clear.
I’ll admit that something uneasy crept into my life upon learning Rooster Cogburn would live again in a remake of this 1969 crowd pleaser. Drawing from core material about murder and revenge, the film version gave us a smart, spunky girl who recruits John Wayne to the rescue. It won the Duke the Best Actor Oscar (as much for career recognition as his performance). It remains a pleasure to watch. Doesn’t need re-making, right?
Two words. Coen Brothers. Two more words. Jeff Bridges.
The vivid characters and language in the novel written by Charles Portis seem tailor-made for the Coen’s quirky sensibilities. The truth is that this film would never have been re-made except for their passion to do it. And now that they have, honestly, this one is a shoot-out for the ages.
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The Challenger
The new Grit has a woman’s voiceover preceding 14-year old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) riding into Fort Smith, Arkansas. The girl intends to find and punish farm hand Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Witnesses say he murdered Mattie’s father in a drunken rage. By now, Chaney’s fled into Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and beyond the reach of the local sheriff. Those two facts place Mattie in the reluctant company of Federal Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). He’s too drunk to be very interested, but has the true grit Mattie seeks. She offers a reward and insists on calling the shots on the manhunt. Along the way they encounter a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who is chasing a reward on Tom Chaney from an unrelated murder.
This won’t go down easy because any trust connecting Mattie with the lawmen is very shaky. Making matters worse, Chaney has fallen in with Lucky Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and his gang of desperados. Both sides eventually meet with lethal results. We also learn about Mattie’s life, and Rooster’s, well after the events that brought them together.
The Coens wrote a screenplay more closely following the events, colorful language and point of view in the Portis novel.
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The Defending Champion
The same basic events play out in the original True Grit. Think John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, Kim Darby as Mattie, and a supporting cast that included Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Strother Martin, John Doucette, and Glen Campbell.
Marguerite Roberts wrote a screenplay with an opening scene absent in the novel, and a distinct switch in emphasis: This horse opera keys on Rooster Cogburn, not the girl who wants to hang her dad’s killer. Hollywood veterans left their imprint: Director Henry Hathaway, Producer Hal. B. Wallis.
The Scorecard
There’s a lot to admire in both movies. Neither was shot in Arkansas or Oklahoma. Cinematographer Lucien Ballard filmed the Technicolor John Wayne movie mainly in Colorado; the Coens shot mostly in New Mexico. Both films look gorgeous, especially the earlier one.
John Wayne may remain the Rooster Cogburn more firmly rooted in the public mind; Jeff Bridges looks seedier and rustic, and acts better.
It’s hard finding strong differences between the superior supporting casts, except in one glaring case: Glen Campbell. Wooden, spotty chemistry with the ensemble, and that hair. It’s that same stiff, long-sideburn look from his TV show. Campbell compares poorly with his Coen counterpart, Matt Damon. In fact, Damon has a promising career path in Westerns if he chooses.
Here is the separating difference: Hailee Steinfeld versus Kim Darby. Both show the backbone required for Mattie Ross and they perfectly manage the rough talk and routine of the old West. It’s the age thing: Mattie Ross is a 14 year old girl, and Kim Darby was a fully grown, 21 year old woman. The bulky clothing and bob haircut couldn’t hide that. By contrast, Hailee Steinfeld won’t make anything think she looks older than 14, if that. That lends special poignancy and power to the OTHER big distinction between these films: the character focus. The main character in the John Wayne version is Rooster Cogburn. With the Coens — and the original author — it is the girl. That makes all the difference.
The right people made the better film.
The Decision
The Coen brothers win on points. They had the good sense to appreciate and ramp up the elements that make True Grit such a compelling movie: The story is vivid, so are the characters and the language they speak. Their treatment improves the material by restoring the focus of this story on Mattie.
None of this dilutes my love of the earlier True Grit. It’s a dandy film: beautifully filmed, generally well-acted and the themes about revenge and honor are clearly laid out. This version is widely available on DVD.
Take a look at both; you’ll enjoy them… but you may decide the small important differences belong to our winner: True Grit by the Coen brothers.
I enjoyed both films and have watched them back to front as well as front to back(in terms of their making) I will make the point that the role of Mattie was so brilliantly natural when acted by Kim Darby that I had to look for which other films she had done. (Immensely surprised)I thoroughly disagree with the view that she was not the center of attention in the ’69 version. That was totally supported by the scripting . As to the acting, it was in step with the script as well. Perceptively stated above in another’s comment was the judgement that the 2nd film was darker… I agree, much lighter is the first. Here is where the credo goes to all three main role presentations. John Wayne did a magnificent portrayal of a under-educated intelligent, lonely loner with a ‘grittiness that goes down to just outside the center. His being a misogynist might be stretching things a bit, as there were no disclosures nor actions which defined him as anything more than a rough edged, uncouth and ignorant man that lost his wife to a more tamable man Not a female hater. In fact a large part of the character/role and the acting to it was his being ‘funny’ as in humorously odd and even clownish. The first version, despite the deaths (and inclusive to a degree)was highly comedic. John Wayne WAS Rooster. Likewise, Kim Darby WAS Mattie to a tee, with a believability from her over the top business minded, strong and sweet hearted woman-child persona. She presents as respectable without overly conforming, and lovable as a teen looking to be the grown-up that will do a man’s job if need be to do right by her Daddy. Finally, we get to Glenn Campbell. This part could have been enhanced and thus been acted by a seasoned professional of greater range. If it had, the storyline would have lost a great deal of charm which the near 2 dimensional Mr. Campbell possessed to the degree that his character was supposed to have in the first place. He was a comedy release. He parlayed wonderfully in character with Rooster as competitors of/for this young girl’s admiration. Both men were egoistic despite their approaches and the prissiness which was scripted in for G.C.’s role worked well with his looks, dress,actions and talk. He was after all, the ‘modern version of Rooster, with..in his mind, the upgrades and accessories that the old model was obviously lacking.
I give the 1969 version a win for a number of reasons, but it is , despite the glaring similarities, an apple and orange comparison.
he acting is superb in both, but the roles are against a less inspired backdrop. As usual, the Coens give a great production but darken it to the point of providing a pseudo surrealism to an otherwise fun story. Examples of Rooster being mean for the sake of showing his intolerance of folk he has little concern for (kids/Amerindians)were gratuitous…in fact that very word describes much of the newer films action. This is in contrast with the first whose simplicity produced a well rounded and tight story,,,no strings attached.
Having seen both True Grit movies, I’ll take the 69 version over the 2010. I didn’t like the girl being whipped and John would never kick a little girl off the steps. I do like Jeff Bridges and the girl did a great job. Both movies are good but if I had chose, I’d rather watch the Duke. The bad part of the 69 version is Glen Cambell, I didn’t like him in it,
Interesting that you refer to Cogburn as “John Wayne” yet refer to Mattie as “that girl.” Even more interesting when you juxtapose that against the fact that you find a girl being whipped as punishment uncomfortable. It seems you have a lot of unaddressed misogyny going on.
Conor’s reply should be deleted. He berated another’s character…slandered him. Further, in his arrogant and illogical blurb, he offers no opinion regarding the subject in hand at all.
Perhaps he is a high school sophomore practicing approaches on an upcoming negative campaign for being voted in as homeroom representative; but here is not the place for it.
The original is better.
I am a great fan of John Wayne, but I agress this was not his best role. It was 12 years ealier in Monunment Valley….need I say more?
If you guessed “The Searchers”..John Ford’s Master piece as well as the Dukes, then you would be correct..a truly great western and in my open it is the best.
Oh, I do prefer the new movie, but I did think Kim Darbey nailed it as well. But man watching the new girl…talk that clerk down is priceless…if she is not nominated this year…something is wrong.
The new version is dark…some of the scenes are at night…I liked it a lot…oh and who had True Grit….Mattie did.
Ron Rigell-Houston Texas
..Ron again…sorry about the spelling..I meant “agree”.
Too bad the eye patch wasn’t on the same side. Eh?
Different point of view!