Lots of careful planning and thoughtful consideration are required when attempting to remake a 60's classic. A job made even harder when that classic turns out to be a celebrated John Wayne film. So it must come as a sign of hope and comfort that with a string of successes in the Western genre that no doubt brought them into much-deserving spotlight, the Coen brothers are the ones who rose up for the challenge. But the fact remains; the last time the brothers tried to do a remake was 7 years ago and the result was "The Ladykillers," a less than adequate, quirky crime comedy thriller that was all in all disappointing. So this is their second shot at doing a ...  Read the complete review

Westerns are a funny creature. They've been around since the early days of cinema, and over this time the fundamental concept of cowboys riding horses and firing their six-shooters have managed to find an incredible amount of different ways of expression within this rather simple genre. From the black & white, good vs. evil, cowboys and Indians stories of the early days, to the more gritty realities of the 1960s, and finally becoming something resembling an art house fare in the last couple of decades, Westerns have had surges of popularity and general lulls in between their subsequent shifts in popular perception. Several times it has seemed that the Western genre ..  Read the complete review

Star - Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon Directed - Coen Brothers Run Time - 110 minutes Oscars - 10 nominations Genre - Western Country - USA Cert - 15 ------------ The Coen Brothers are the most infuriating directors out there yet still the Hollywood darlings, nominated for an Oscar for wiping their bottoms if there was a category for it. Their films are so hit and miss and don't make much money in the multiplexes but still the critic's bow down to them. Although they are known for making extremely over-rated arty movies, like the eccentric 'O Brother, Where Art Though', they also made stinkers like Burn after Reading. But it was ...  Read the complete review

Cinematic wisdom holds - and with good reason - that remakes are never a good idea; and, after their distinctly tepid Ladykillers remake, that remakes by the Coen Brothers are definitely not a good idea. Based on a John Wayne film (and, of course, a book before that), True Grit follows the tale of a young girl Mattie Ross whose father is murdered in the old West. Determined to avenge his death, she hires a US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn to track him down and bring him to justice... insisting that she accompanies Cogburn on his quest. Let me start off by saying that I have never seen the John Wayne original, so have no idea how this version compares. ...  Read the complete review

I haven't seen the first "True Grit" movie so I won't be comparing it in any way to the original film. I watched this Coen Brother's version in the cinema - (hence this is a "film only" review) I chose this film in the cinema at random as I couldn't decide what else to watch. So I basically I went in with a ticket to True Grit, without a clue of what really to expect! But here's what I thought about this film.... Deep, maybe too long... With issues such as punishment, revenge and bravery.... and of course a young girl involving herself in all of this, you would generally expect it to be as intense as it ...  Read the complete review