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Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD "To those who have fond or foul memories of the Wayne 'True Grit,' the Coens might be saying: You've seen the movie, now see the book.... a skillful entertainment that still leaves the viewer wondering why they spent a year of their lives on the project.... Steinfeld is the heart, star and glory of 'True Grit.' " (Read the full review...) 1,330 words, 12/22/10 Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD (cg) "...one of the most mainstream, crowd-pleasing films Joel and Ethan Coen have ever made.... sort of a screwball Western, if you will, with vivid performances and strikingly vast, picturesque vistas... But it's a minor entry from the writing-directing brothers, especially when you consider the inventiveness and strength of their canon... at least it's enjoyable..." (Read the full review...) 798 words, 12/21/10 Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...a deadplan yarn about a frontier girl's mettle and power to affect men around her. Matt Damon delights as a lawman, but it's Steinfeld who stands out. Not since Anna Paquin won an Oscar for 'The Piano' has a girl shown such screen presence." (Read the full review...) 80 words, 12/23/10 Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT (cg) "Much is fine in 'True Grit,' including typically impeccable dusty-Western cinematography by Roger Deakins. Much is admirable, or diverting... Too little, though, is wild like Portis [author of the novel] can be wild..." (Read the full review...) 695 words, 12/17/10 Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...a vastly entertaining Wild West show that is memorable in every particular.... packed with action and laughs... Great filmmaking. Great acting. Great movie." (Read the full review...) 395 words, 12/10/10 Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...a triumph in the long list of Coen successes." (Read the full review...) 506 words, 12/22/10 Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING (cg) "The Coen Brothers' craftsmanship is a wonder. Their casting is always inspired and exact. The cinematography by Roger Deakins reminds us of the glory that was, and can still be, the Western.... splendid..." (Read the full review...) 1,087 words, 12/21/10 James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...one of the best films of 2010, a reminder of why remakes are not always bad.... surpasses its predecessor as the definitive adaptation of the novel and stakes out a place in the hall of fame of American Westerns." (Read the full review...) 1,066 words, 12/19/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Beautifully adapted by Joel and Ethan Coen from the parodic western novel by Charles Portis... a parable about good and evil.... a true picture of how the West was won, or -- depending on your view -- lost." (Read the full review...) 1,349 words, 12/22/10 Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT (cg) "...a wonderfully entertaining, beautiful Western drama that lets the quirks of the genre gallop freely as it keeps a tight rein throughout." (Read the full review...) 381 words, 12/22/10 Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...one of the Coen brothers' most broadly entertaining films yet.... The big names in the cast all do excellent work, but the biggest surprise is all but unknown Steinfeld. Mattie is the film's essential role... though Steinfeld is but 14 and without major feature experience, she nails it..." (Read the full review...) 929 words, 12/22/10 Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD (cg) "This is the Coens at their finest... they, and Bridges, find it difficult to do anything without a raised eyebrow, a dash of quirk, the postmodern nudge-nudge." (Read the full review...) 759 words, 12/21/10 Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD (cg) "...formidably well-crafted... Hailee Steinfeld is a real find as Mattie.... Steinfeld is still a teenager, in addition to being an appealing presence and a fine stoical observer to her character's fortunes." (Read the full review...) 563 words, 12/22/10 Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD (cg) "...the Coens treat Portis' vision so reverently that their own never appears. The film is well-paced and looks like a Western should, but it feels pinched and formal..." (Read the full review...) 311 words, 12/22/10 David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...isn't as momentous an event as you might hope, but once you adjust to its deliberate rhythms (it starts slowly), it's a charming, deadpan Western comedy." (Read the full review...) 523 words, 12/13/10 Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING (cg) "The Coen Brothers' craftsmanship is a wonder. Their casting is always inspired and exact. The cinematography by Roger Deakins reminds us of the glory that was, and can still be, the Western.... splendid..." (Read the full review...) 1,087 words, 12/21/10 J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...well-wrought, if overly talkative, and seriously ambitious... For the most part, the Coens' is a highly enjoyable yarn..." (Read the full review...) 632 words, 12/22/10 Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD (cg) "...one of the least 'Coenesque' of the brothers' films. You look in vain for much evidence of their wicked humour. It's possible that in Portis they have found a writer whose acerbic wit exceeds their own..." (Read the full review...) 815 words, 12/22/10 Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD (cg) "...wry rather than comic; melancholy rather than weighty. Though handsomely made and well acted, the film never completely escapes the sense that it's an exercise in genre excavation." (Read the full review...) 649 words, 12/22/10 Josep Parera, La Opinion: OUTSTANDING (cg) "Una demostración única del impecable don de los Coen a la hora de contar historias." (Read the full review...) 467 words, 12/22/10 Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...well-made... one of a handful of westerns that could stand next to Clint Eastwood's merciless 'Unforgiven' as a refutation of the myth that movies like the original 'True Grit' bought into.... beautifully written... perfectly cast..." (Read the full review...) 446 words, 12/16/10
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD (cg) "[It] has received the care, consideration and classy retooling that Charles Portis's novel probably always deserved.... has sweep and scope and entertainment value to burn..." (Read the full review...) 693 words, 12/22/10 Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...artfully wrought and agreeably wry... probably the least ironic picture in the Coen Brothers' worthy canon, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of their signature oddities, that it doesn't take a few dark, strange turns." (Read the full review...) 837 words, 12/22/10 Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD (cg) "...a respectable, entertaining Western, but it's not so radically different or innovative that the Coens' need to make it seems overpowering. I guess we should just assume that they had a hankering to make a pretty good Western. So they did." (Read the full review...) 591 words, 12/22/10 Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD (cg) "Bridges is more than Wayne's match as an actor.... [But] something bigger was called for here, both from him and the Coen Brothers behind the camera for this sturdy, still entertaining remake." (Read the full review...) 672 words, 12/22/10 Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...the Coens dial down the eccentricity and deliver their first classically made, audience-pleasing genre picture.... masterful." (Read the full review...) 667 words, 12/22/10 Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT (cg) "...a gorgeously shot, well-acted Western... measures up - and surpasses - the original, but, more important, it stands on its own as an entertaining, expertly made movie. A great one? No, but a really good one." (Read the full review...) 566 words, 12/22/10 Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...a classic Western tale livened up by a few Coen brothers tweaks.... has something that the Coens are usually too pleased with themselves to create: grandeur." (Read the full review...) 503 words, 12/22/10 Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...a straightforward western.... spiced with the sort of comedy one expects from Joel and Ethan Coen and driven by the kind of earnestness one doesn't." (Read the full review...) 860 words, 12/22/10 Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...a beautiful film. The look and tone of this literary western tells you immediately that you are in the capable hands of great filmmakers who bother with even the smallest details." (Read the full review...) 539 words, 12/22/10 Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD (cg) " 'Why do they hang him so high?' asks Mattie, as they come across a corpse hung near the top of a tree. 'I do not know,' replies Cogburn, unruffled. 'Possibly in the belief it would make him more dead.' " (Read the full review...) 383 words, 12/21/10 Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT (cg) "...fine, straightforward and engaging... The Coens shine a light on the hearts of evil men and find laughter and even wonderment in those unlikely places. In some ways, the combination of an unflinching eye and a taste for absurdity makes them deeply American artists, like Melville or Twain." (Read the full review...) 944 words, 12/22/10 Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...true aficionados of both Western movies and Western literature should rejoice.... a gold mine of rich dialogue, rollicking adventure and resonant ideas about the American dream." (Read the full review...) 399 words, 12/22/10 Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT (cg) "You never forget who's behind the camera but wonder why for this particular project.... a very good movie that might be more embraceable if we didn't know who was pulling the trigger." (Read the full review...) 565 words, 12/21/10 Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD (cg) "...it's (almost) all in good fun, with Bridges and Damon bouncing off one another and Steinfeld giving the film a string to follow.... isn't so much a major film as a good time, and there's nothing wrong with that." (Read the full review...) 552 words, 12/22/10 Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD (cg) "The movie's modesty is surprising and initially feels like a bit of a letdown. But once you settle in with the film that's in front of you, instead of the one you were expecting, 'True Grit' draws you in as fully as the Coens' best work..." (Read the full review...) 644 words, 12/22/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...well-wrought, if overly talkative, and seriously ambitious... For the most part, the Coens' is a highly enjoyable yarn..." (Read the full review...) 632 words, 12/22/10 Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...the Coens' ability to maintain authenticity sustains the story's credibility.... a phenomenal and perfectly cast character piece.... one of the best movies of the year." (Read the full review...) 734 words, 12/01/10 Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...marks another stage in the Coens' maturation, as they progress from cynicism to tragedy, from the sadism of smart-asses to the gravity of the Old Testament. Their gravity is now worthy of that most venerable and profound of American genres, the Western." (Read the full review...) 576 words, 12/23/10 Keith Phipps, AV Club: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...simultaneously rollicking and grave, alternating moments of fine dark humor with startling violence as it drags Mattie into the world of adult responsibilities and the danger and lost innocence that come with them." (Read the full review...) 405 words, 12/21/10 Nick Schager, Slant: VERY GOOD (cg) "...leans on colorful period dialogue and an illustrious cast to imbue the proceedings with significance, a strategy that elicits direct engagement with its trio of protagonists, and yet also calls undue attention to their occasional cartoonishness." (Read the full review...) 865 words, 12/20/10 Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING (cg) "...well-made... one of a handful of westerns that could stand next to Clint Eastwood's merciless 'Unforgiven' as a refutation of the myth that movies like the original 'True Grit' bought into.... beautifully written... perfectly cast..." (Read the full review...) 446 words, 12/16/10 Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "The Coens mine plenty of humor in their mismatched heroes' interplay and the semi-archaic dialogue from Charles Portis' original novel." (Read the full review...) 378 words, 12/22/10 MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...that there's something great just beyond the grasp of the Coens here, something that they may not even be aware of, hangs over this elegant yet somehow vaguely unfinished film.... there's very little unexpected... [it's a] competent and yet somehow uninspired film..." (Read the full review...) 931 words, 12/20/10
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: OUTSTANDING "...splendidly acted and takes full advantage of every breathtaking vista it comes across, a grand epic made quirky and intimate by the dialogue... terrific filmmaking." (Listen to the full review...) 273 seconds, 12/22/10 Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Mr. Bridges fills the role of Rooster Cogburn with boozy panache.... Joel Coen and Ethan Coen fill the film with self-conscious good humor -- hey, it's the Coen brothers -- and the charmingly old-fashioned locutions of the Charles Portis novel." (Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/24/10 Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Beautifully adapted by Joel and Ethan Coen from the parodic western novel by Charles Portis... a parable about good and evil.... a true picture of how the West was won, or -- depending on your view -- lost." (Read the full review...) 1,349 words, 12/22/10 David Denby, New Yorker: GOOD "...enjoyably astringent.... Even if you don't know the book or the first movie, the story will have a familiar feel to it.... For the Coens, the plot elements are a given; the telling is all." (Read the full review...) 476 words, 12/13/10 David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...amusing and impressive as it is, an arm's-length experience without much emotional power. The brothers have reclaimed Portis' novel from John Wayne by making it darker and colder and more grotesque." (Listen to the full review...) 512 seconds, 12/22/10 Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...one of the Coen brothers' most broadly entertaining films yet.... The big names in the cast all do excellent work, but the biggest surprise is all but unknown Steinfeld. Mattie is the film's essential role... though Steinfeld is but 14 and without major feature experience, she nails it..." (Read the full review...) 929 words, 12/22/10 Dana Stevens, Slate: OUTSTANDING "The first hour and half or so of 'True Grit' is as good as anything the Coens have ever done... I found the climactic showdown a bit disappointing in its conventionality. But it's followed by a gorgeously lyrical sequence that may mark the first time I've ever shed tears in a Coen brothers movie." (Read the full review...) 858 words, 12/22/10 Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...a winning western with just a few dark eddies beneath the surface, one that features a star-making lead performance [Hailee Steinfeld] and some spectacular photography, but falls just short of being great." (Read the full review...) 1,253 words, 12/21/10
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Jeff Bridges handily reinvents the iconic role of Rooster Cogburn... his irascible old cuss is a genuine original who feels larger than the familiar saga that contains him.... [a] characteristically well-crafted outing..." (Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 12/01/10 Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...well played and superbly crafted but hits largely familiar notes, giving it a one-dimensional feel without much dramatic or emotional resonance.... what the Coens have given up is humor which would only have enriched the material and made it more entertaining..." (Read the full review...) 1,118 words, 12/01/10 Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...one of the Coen brothers' most broadly entertaining films yet.... The big names in the cast all do excellent work, but the biggest surprise is all but unknown Steinfeld. Mattie is the film's essential role... though Steinfeld is but 14 and without major feature experience, she nails it..." (Read the full review...) 929 words, 12/22/10 Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT (cg) "Joel and Ethan Coen take a major step toward mainstream (and more conventional) cinema... essentially a genre film.... feels less of a personal and idiosyncratic feature, when placed in the context of the rest of their film oeuvre." (Read the full review...) 1,353 words, 12/01/10 Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Beautifully adapted by Joel and Ethan Coen from the parodic western novel by Charles Portis... a parable about good and evil.... a true picture of how the West was won, or -- depending on your view -- lost." (Read the full review...) 1,349 words, 12/22/10 Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Mr. Bridges fills the role of Rooster Cogburn with boozy panache.... Joel Coen and Ethan Coen fill the film with self-conscious good humor -- hey, it's the Coen brothers -- and the charmingly old-fashioned locutions of the Charles Portis novel." (Read the full review...) 524 words, 12/24/10
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