I had no time to post this up yesterday, but it’s time you had your say on the Coen brothers’ latest. I am a big fan, of course, and a bit predisposed, given my love for the genre. But rattle off your thoughts in the comments section below if you get a chance to see it over the holiday.
Comments
79 responses to “Tell us what you thought of ‘True Grit’”
Dialogue was great/entertaining. The whole cast was great. I thought it was a perfect movie right up until Matt Damon’s character shows up and socks Cheney in the head when he’s about to cut Mattie. I felt like the movie kinda went downhill after that…luckily enough, most of the film had played already so I didn’t think my dissatisfaction with the end took away too much from the film. Didn’t care for the epilogue. Well crafted solid film though overall.
I still think the movie was good, for sure. Just not amazing.
And honestly, with all of this talk of the last 10 minutes or so (ending of plot and the coda/epilogue) ….. I don’t know that the Coens (or anyone) could do something revisionist or amazing with the source material. I actually think that the ending of the “story”, itself, isn’t all-too satisfying, if that makes any sense.
I think it felt a bit slow at times, but it was surprisingly funny and all around quite good. And the supporting thing is a complete joke… Bridges was in it less than she was and he’s lead? Pretty silly.
Yeah, they can try to justify it all they want, but they obviously are positioning her for Supporting because her chances of a nomination (and especially a win) are far greater.
Also, am I crazy, or did I see Jackie Earle Haley in True Grit for like a split second? If not, someone in there looked a lot like him. Maybe it was the ferryman.
Beautifully shot and edited, another straight “A” from the Coens.
It’s obvious why they did it. She is a shoo-in for a nomination and has a great chance for a win. Lead Actress is too competitive, even if it’s pretty much Natalie’s to lose at this point. But yeah, category fraud, nonetheless. I’m ok with it though, since it means good things for Hailee.
I, too, thought that was Jackie Earle Haley, but I doubt it’s him.
Here’s a superlative for you Kris.
***Mild spoiler***
Best Picture in which a lead character loses an arm:
1. True Grit
with a DISTANT second place going to
2. 127 Hours
I just got back from seeing it, and I loved it.
I’ve got to admit that I find some of the criticism/lack of enthusiasm odd in some instances. So what of it wasn’t a typical Coen Brothers movie? Big deal. Doesn’t anyone appreciate a straightforward story told well anymore? This one was told brilliantly and beautifully. And frankly, I don’t understand why Matt Damon isn’t getting more love. I thought his performance, while subtle at times, was incredibly spot on. Just really remarkable.
Thank you Hero!
Haven’t you heard, Hero? Unless a film’s name is I Am Love, it doesn’t get much praise here (except you JJ1, we’re cool ;-) )
Haha, that’s right, Kev! :)
Kevin K,
I’m used to being a pariah–I didn’t like Black Swan *at all*.
Near-perfect. Incredibly faithful to the genre. Being a big fan of John Wayne and the original I can without shame say this is vastly superior. Indeed, vastly superior to most of what I’ve seen of 2010. Bridges was dynamite, Steinfeld was superb, Damon goes under-appreciated yet again. I loved the chemistry of those three. And Brolin and Pepper were so perfect it hurt.
I loved what Deakins did, especially the opening shot and the Mattie – Chaney showdown. I would still give the Oscar to Pfister…or maybe even Robert Richardson, but Deakins could not have done better. And Burwell’s score just leveled me.
In short. I loved it.
“Fill your hands you son of a bitch!”
Even though I wasn’t quite as enamored with it as you, Colby … I love when someone is so passionate about a movie they’ve just seen. I enjoyed reading your take.
Here’s what stuck with me: Mattie’s love for her father. For me that was the real story. What she was willing to do, and lose, for him. The image of adult Mattie walking off with half of her arm gone will stay with me for a long time. I had the feeling that the physical loss was only a physical reflection, and that it suited her just fine.
And wow, if that’s what the Austin night sky looks like…I’ll need to visit soon. Jesus.
JJ1 , you and I have similar opinions. I agree their was very little ” connection between Cogburn & Mattie” , everything was good across the board, but I also didn’t leave the theatre ” in cinematic bliss .”
Yes, it is category fraud to put Hailee Steinfeld in supporting Actress field. She is the main protagonist of this story.
Matt Damon has proven time & time again , that he is one of our finest American character actors. This guy is funny in “True Grit ,” and he truly needs to pursue more comedic material because he has a great knack for comedy. It was very nice to see Barry Pepper get a decent supporting role in this movie. In the few scenes Barry was in, he absolutely shined.
P.S. I was entertained by “True Grit ,” but it didn’t move me more than these classics, “Tombstone” & ” Silverado.”
Yeah, I mean … it’s one of those weird movies that I’m telling everyone I know to see because I think it was good.
And as a film fan, I want people to go to Coen Bros. movies.
But at the same time, I can’t just say to them, “well, it’s good, see it, but I was disappointed by aspects”, either.
You know what I mean? It kind of defeats the purpose of recommending it; even though I wholy do.
Silencio: It really does look like that. A lot of the film was shot here, as well as Tree of Life, which was shot in my neighborhood (for the Brad Pitt portion). It’s a beautiful city.
Really good. Jeff Bridges is absolutely amazing, my favorite leading actor performance of the year. Gorgeous cinematography, if a bit reserved for Deakins, which is not a bad thing as it lends the film a lovely classical feel. Overall an enjoyable, well made old-fashioned western, unusually small and conventional for the Coens, but not worse off for it.
Did anyone catch the line where Matt Damon mentions that Tom Chaney shot a dog? I don’t know if it’s become a running gag now, but onscreen or off, Josh Brolin keeps shooting dogs in every movie he’s in now it seems. I hope PETA doesn’t catch on!
Doggies, Tapley. Doggies.
It sucked
I didn’t think it had the same emotional punch of the original, that I had seen again on the night before seeing the remake!! An C -!!!!
I didn’t think it had the same emotional value of the original, and therefore I gave it a C–!!!
I’ve typed n an entry twice, so bite me,,,
keil and jj1, i guess we’re the only ones who thought to catch a glimpse of haley… i found this site by googleing to see if it the ferry guy was him, but i guess not… apparently a guy called Ty Mitchell:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4362757/
good movie though