True Grit.... Some thoughts.

****Spoiler Alert... Maybe*****

Last Wednesday my friends and I went to see the remake of “True Grit” at Newark Shopping Center, Hands down our favorite place to see movies, it is truly the last of the old style “big houses” left in the area. Now allot of people know that I am a huge John Wayne fan, so I was very worried about a remake of the film for which he won his Oscar. To me him and Kim Darby were fantastic in that movie... Glen Campbell, not so much, So it was with some trepidation that I viewed the new film by the Coen Brothers.

It actually took me two or three days to admit to myself what I actually thought of the movie... That I thought it was a better movie then the original. In every way I believe it surpassed the original, Music, Acting, cinematography and costuming everything. I didn't want it to be, I wanted to say “Yeah I liked it... but the Duke was better” but in fact he wasnt.

Jeff Bridges did a fantastic job, mumbling through his dialog and his first scene where Mattie Ross tries to confront him in a outhouse is great. Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross was perfect she delivered her difficult dialog believably and with the right amount of Spunk. Matt Damon did a good job as the dandy Texas ranger and Josh Brolin turned in a fantsic performance as the Dim-whitted and dangerous Tom Chaney.

To me... One of John Waynes iconic scenes is as Roster Cogborn, riding towards Ned Pepper’s gang, firing is pistol and spinning his rifle after he had delivered his “Then fill your hands you Son of a Bitch!” line... well that scene is in this movie and I will say I think it is done better, more believably, in the new film then the old.... Sorry Duke.

One of the things that was strange, so much of the dialog seemed almost identical, yes there are some changes, but after watching the new film then going home and watching the old... so many lines seem almost word for word ( undoubtedly lifted directly from the Novel for which it is based) the same... but delivered with a more believable realism in the new movie then the old.

I didnt want to like this movie as much as I did. I wanted to walk around with my nose in the air and say “The Original was better” I tried for a couple of days to believe this, but at last reality managed break through my delusional fog. The new movie is in all ways better then the Original... I hope to god no one ever remakes the “Searchers”.