It has a slightly different twist to it than the original, but it is handled well, and makes for a good overall film. As for the new characters, I must say most of them were a breath of fresh air compared to the old ones. Maddie Ross is less feministic, more of a Bible-believing girl, and even quotes the Bible on occasion.
Cogburn is a bit of a tossup, but he is the only one.
It all depends what type of character you are looking for in ole' Rooster. If you are looking for an overall decent hero, with a few quirks, I would take the Wayne version. If you are looking for a rough, tough, gritty, and quintessential western marshal, I would take Bridges. Both actors have aspects I like about them, and both have things I dislike. Overall, I would have to say I would pick Bridges over Wayne, for overall acting.
La-Beef. Oh yes, here's where the new True Grit shines.
The new La-beef, played by Matt Damon, is not perfect, but is MUCH more of a gentleman and hero than the old one. La-beef from the Wayne version is rather annoying and stuck up. While the new La-beef isn't exactly a role model, he shows some great character qualities I can admire him for.
As for the sideline characters, They were done well. Ned Pepper, the famous outlaw, is played by the same man who plays Joe Galloway in We Were Soldiers - Barry Pepper.
Don't mind the boom mike. :)
He does a good job, and I would rate him on par with the job done by Robert Duvall in the previous version.
Tom Cheney is miles better than before. In the old one he was sort of whiny, and a bit of a wimp, whom you had a hard time not pitting instead of looking down on him as the murderer. The new one is plumb evil, and that's the way I like bad guys to be.
They changed the ending, making it more feministic and I think personally it takes away from the story the original had, but that and the use of language are probably my only complaints.
Overall, 3.5 stars. Recommended if you have seen the first one, because that one has a little more story to it.
I haven't seen the old one, but I enjoyed this one apart from the ending. I don't know how the other one ends, but I feel this could have been... I don't know. A little more pleasanter.
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