My True Grit Review - I Loved It!

True Grit was pretty perfect! I loved this movie from every angle! What a great movie, great actors all around! Even the smaller parts. I could list a hundred things I love about this movie.

I give it a 95! I loved John Wayne’s True Grit and I have seen it many times, it is priceless! Comparing these two, even though it is the same title and story, is like apples and oranges and I am very happy about both of them! One is a classic John Wayne and great. This one is movie making and acting at their finest and it is great.

Excellent cinematography! Like unto Cold Mountain or The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford. But very importantly unlike the latter of those two, I was not bored for one second in this movie. Not just excellent scenery, location, settings, but real, vivid and engulfing. The angles and close ups, the lighting and even the sounds were perfect. This movie was like reading a very good book, only better. I relaxed back and enjoyed the ride. Three times I jumped in my seat at an action taken, I will not give anything away! I haven’t read the book, on which this movie was based, but if the book was like this movie I would imagine a great read. A book you could hardly put down. One that drew you into the story, the way this movie did.

Probably the best thing about this movie is the conversation of it all. The dialect, dialogue, the speech of it all. They did this script right! Talk about a movie full of quotes! And the mix of humor was also perfect, most of it coming from the dialogue and the way they spoke, the lines they delivered each and every one of them. Only one of my favorite lines, and seriously there are many, is “you do not varnish your opinion.” There are better lines, but again, not giving anything away.  It's smart.

When you go see this movie, pay attention, you want to hear every word.

Ok, now for the actors, fantastic ensemble, great casting, kudos to them all.

Jeff Bridges, Oscar bound I am sure of it. He has always been fantastic and he did not disappoint at all, not one iota. His voice was so gravelly, I felt it. His speech, facial expressions and mannerisms had no faults. I am not surprised at all. He rocks with talent and always has.



And Hailee Steinfeld was perfect in this movie, not one fault could I find. What a find she was. Her speech and everything else was again straight on what this movie needed to make it right. I was impressed, she is also Oscar bound, I’d bet on it.

Matt Damon, when is he ever not good? His character in John Wayne’s movie was played by Glen Campbell and I always thought he was a terrible actor in that but I still liked him in it. Now I understand this. It is the character in the book and Matt Damon played the character to a T. I very much enjoyed him playing this part and hearing him perform the dialogue that was unique to La Boeuf, his Texas Ranger character. I loved it!



Now here are my two surprises, Josh Brolin, I was not paying attention before, but he played Chaney, all along I somehow thought he was to play Ned Pepper. Josh is sooo handsome and his character surprised me in ways I won‘t say yet. He played him well and looked good doing it.



Biggest and loved this surprise - Barry Pepper played Ned Pepper. In all the hype of this movie, I kept hearing Duvall’s voice! And I thought Robert Duvall is in this movie and they didn’t advertise it???? I love Barry Pepper anyway and when I realized it was him, I was thrilled and amazed. Did I say I love him? He was great in this and yes he sounds exactly like Robert Duvall. He could play Robert Duvall in a movie about him. If you don’t know who I am talking about, he was the sniper in Saving Private Ryan. I hope to see him more after this, he does great in a western!

Another thing, I kept asking myself, who is that bear man?

I love western movies, always have and I am so glad every time they put a new and good one out. This one is excellent. Go see it! And go see it in the theater, the effects cannot be as well appreciated, I am sure, if you wait for the DVD.

Someday after everyone has seen it I may tell you the 5% negatives, microscopic as they are!