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"Time just gets away from us."
Only the Coens. The most authentic western in modern memory, only the Coens could accomplish what they do here and they warrant rewatchability to spare. For one, the Coens are masters of language. Always have been, always will be. The way they go about capturing the Old West linguistics and dialects and transplant them into unique and unusual accents of characters is an absolute treat to experience and in the process, transplants the viewer…
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(Part 7 of The Possibly Decades Spanning Coen Brothers Marathon)
Okay, let's get this out of the way first - this film is absolutely beautiful. Every shot seems to highlight something that you wouldn't think of being able to be considered stunning, but somehow is. The fact that Roger Deakins still hasn't won an Oscar despite being nominated about ten times is almost criminal. Here's hoping they give him it for Skyfall as a consolation prize.
Moving on from that,…
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I used the receipt of a new blu-ray as the excuse to rewatch this film.
The absolutely brilliant cinematography was highlighted even more by the quality of the blu-ray. The colors and lighting effects made this feel like the best of authentic Westerns. There was incredible authenticity in the sets, buildings, and costumes used.The Coen Bros. took a huge gamble in remaking a Western classic such as True Grit. They wisely didn't follow the same script but chose to…
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Jesus Christ, man. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Everything about it is just perfect.
I know, I know. When it comes to the Coen brothers, everybody prefers Fargo, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, or No Country...and don't get me wrong, I love those too. So when I say that True Grit is perfect, I don't mean it's the most perfect out of all the Coens films. I mean it's the perfect one for me.
I mean, this film is my soulmate.… -
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Renowned for their inventive directing style, the Coen brothers display their filmmaking prowess in a reimaging of a famed western original. The brothers twin their unique style with classic western conventions to create a pastiche that is brimming with attitude.
The performances from the whole cast are stunning, but no-one shows as much grit as fourteen year old Mattie Ross. Her father’s death made her a stronger character and she spends the duration of the film living in his shadow.…
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A great looking western and another brilliantly crafted film by the Coen Brothers. They always manage to create a believable setting with excellent characters but what I enjoy the most is how they always manage to work in some comedy without it being too dominant. Hailee Steinfeld gives an excellent performance, holding her own alongside the brilliant Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin, but unfortunately the ending was fairly flat so I came away thinking that enough happened.
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For exquisite craftmanship, look no further than the Coens. Bridges is completely bad-ass as Rooster Cogburn, Damon quite hilarious as LaBoeuf and Hailee Steinfeld holds her own against both of them as the persistent Mattie Ross. These are great characters and it was a joy to see them interact. As well as, certainly not least, taking in the dialogue (not sure who can take more credit for it, the brothers or Charles Portis who wrote the novel). Excellent film - but I found the ending fairly flat.
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The Coens’ eye for scenery (and faces) and ear for mumbly, period-appropriate dialogue is sharp as ever — and Hailee Steinfeld in the role of 14-year-old protagonist Mattie Ross is flawless — but the brothers have become so honed in their craft it’s as if they’ve forgotten how to bring any joy to the process. The real star is the New Mexico desert, and Josh Brolin, whilst barely utilised, does a great Tommy Lee Jones.
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Thank to strong performances from a string cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as well as witty dialogue, complex writing, great atmosphere and grea cinematography, this comes off as a more superior and, for lack of a better word, gritty remake.