A fourteen-year-old girl hires and accompanies a grizzled U.S. Marshal on a mission to avenge the death her father. It's rare that a re-make is better than the original, but the Coen Brothers accomplished more with this story and the characters than its progenitors. As I watched it, I couldn't help comparing the two. Jeff Bridges's Rooster Cogburn had more character, a chatty, damaged drunkard, but John Wayne is all of these things but muted; Bridges is an actor who takes more risks, unafraid to be seen vulnerable. What we don't get with Wayne's performance is any clue about why Rooster is the way he is; he's just the force that John Wayne has always represented. I did like this iteration of True Grit because it's a fine story and the characters are inherently interesting despite how much more fleshed out they are in the Coen Brothers' version. Of all the westerns I've seen, this is one of the least racist (the portrayal of Asians leaves something to be desired), and the tale is full of class tropes of revenge and heroes. It's nothing to think too deeply about, but it's a solid three-star film. Overall, despite the strengths of the original True Grit, if you're only going to see one version of this story, you should see the latest one. Overall, despi

Having read the novel by Charles Portis and seeing the Coen Brothers version, and finally seeing this film, I thought that the original True Grit was a terrific and well acted Western film. This is actually the first film that I've seen with John Wayne in it. I have to say he is terrific in his role of Rooster Cogburn. The Duke pulls off a flawless performance of Portis' ruthless U.S Marshall. He definitely deserved that Oscar. The film at times feels a tad silly and uneven, but fortunately, the actors and well written script keep this film afloat and in the process create a fun, entertaining film that is a well done adaptation and as far as the remake is concerned, both films had a different twist on Charles Portis classic novel, and both succeeded in having the essence of the novel. This film is a more cheerful version of True Grit, while the recent version is a darker, colder and meaner version. But both films are wonderful. John Wayne and Kim Darby have great chemistry on screen, although it has to be pointed out that Kim Darby in this film is supposed to play a 14 year old girl, but the actress is in her early 20's. I thought that was slightlky odd, I mean they should've gotten a 14 year to play a 14 year, right? If you've enjoyed the book and want to see the first version of True Grit, then this is a good film to watch. The film is like I said a tad more cheerful than the recent version. This version is a well adapted version nonetheless and is a must see for John Wayne fans and fans of the book.