True Grit (2010) Triple Play: Blu-ray / DVD / Digital (2 Disc Set) previews

Good western and despite what you might have heard, it isn't a remake of the classic John Wayne movie of the same name. Both versions are based on a 1969 Charles Portis novel. Just because a director does one version of the book doesn't mean every filmed version of the book that follows is a remake of the first film. If that was the case, then you could say Pete Jackson's “Lord of the Rings” is a remake of the old Ralph Bakshi cartoon version of “Lord of the Rings”

Both versions of “True Grit” have their own merits and echo the sensibilities of the period they were made in. The Coen Brothers version is a gritty, grim, realistic take on the story which is perfectly suited to a generation of western fans weened on “Deadwood”. It has some beautiful cinematography as well. Only downside I found was there were points where I had absolutely no idea what the hell Jeff Bridges was mumbling. But besides that, good film. Definitely worth the money.

Was ok as a stand alone western – would give it a 3.5 but with the original version now released on bluray then the only reason to buy or even watch this version is if you really really like the cast. Even though it uses many of the original scene's and follows the original script pretty closely it fall very very flat in comparison and has none of the humour and character interplay or presence of the original. To try & successfully remake such a classic western was pretty optimistic but to try and remake a classic John Wayne western was just plain stupid.

I thought westerns were cheesy until I saw this film and liked it so much I had to buy it and have watched this class act many times since. Don't hesitate to get this great film.

Look: there's a lot of fuss about this movie vs the earlier movie vs the book … forget all that. I don't have the patience to read the book and I really don't like dated film & acting styles that much and so watching John Wayne ham through the first film is not on the cards, AND … I love the Coen brother's films (well, MOST of them), so I can highly recommend this movie. If you want to see a well-crafted, straightforward story about a wee girl abandoned by her dad, and surrounded by men who are indifferent and incompetent at best and murderously threatening at worst, looking for (and finding, against all odds and initial impressions) a true hero to help her avenge her father's death, then WATCH THIS! If you like to collect good films, then BUY THIS. It gets better with each rewatching, and has an excellent bunch of extras. Plus: with the extra copies, if you want to take this to a friend's house and they don't have Blu-ray, then you're all set.