Grit and Mo' Grit...

I found the new True Grit film by the Coen brothers quite entertaining but not without flashbacks to the original with The Duke.  No one will ever fill The Duke's boots, but this new western is very well done. Both pictures follow the same storyline of a young girl out avenge her father's death. The Coen brothers film is more accurate in depiction of the the time period and has better actors.  Glen Campbell was a great guitarist and singer, but acting wasn't one of his skills. It's good to see Matt Damon excel in a co-star role as well as Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper plays a very convincing villain. Jeff Bridges does Rooster Cogburn as well as it could have been done. Bridges has made the transition from the leading man type to the crusty old curmudgeon character well. It's been a long time since The Fabulous Baker Boys. My favorite scene in either movie is when Rooster puts the reins of his horse in his mouth and meets the villains head on with two guns blazing. The delivery of period dialogue requires careful listening and I found the use of classic southern Baptist hymns for portions of the soundtrack fittingly appropriate.

I think that the 1969 True Grit will always be known as a John Wayne film, but the current film will be known as a Coen brothers film.  It was, after all, a film about Mattie.  Films usually tend to tell us more about ourselves than we would like. The same story filmed  and viewed at different times in our lives tells us a lot about how we've changed.    Or not.