True Grit (2010)
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld
True Grit is a remake of a 1969 John Wayne film with the same name. I don’t usually watch remakes before I have seen the original however not really being a fan of Westerns I gave this a go, mainly due to it being Coen brothers film. Most films they have directed and produced have bought something different yet at the same time have some of the same constants. The dark humour, the bold characters and the main focus on strong accents/ the way certain characters speak.
In True Grit there was an element of humour but not much. It was a more serious Coen brother’s film with the main focus being on the story. Jeff Bridges in the role of Rooster Cogburn had this strong and sometime unidentifiable accent which definitely goes with a typical Coen film. However the star of this film was Halee Steinfeld in the role of Mattie Ross. It was her story of wanting to avenge the murder of her father and hire someone to capture the killer so he can be put to justice, and that is exactly how it played out. She was the only character I cared about, the rest were just a bit weak.
I don’t think it helped that the film was very slow in places. Although it looked fantastic and had the typical Western setting there didn’t seem to be enough gun fights or bar fighting, the kind of things I would expect from a western. Maybe these types of films are just not for me but I wasn’t a fan. Any fans of westerns may like this but I’ll let you make that choice.
Film Fact
In order to get the most effective voice after biting his tongue, Matt Damon tied a hair tie around it to talk as if he had no tongue.
thefriedgold 
I really enjoyed True Grit – some Coens’ films I find a bit too oddball for my tastes but TG, with a more realistic approach, was a slow and steady character piece. All three leads were strong and it looked amazing – how a western should, in my opinion. I agree there wasn’t much in the way of “traditional” western staples but I thought the drama made up for it.
I’d have to agree with your assesment, the film was slow in parts and I expected alot more action. From the trailer I was really looking forward to this movie and Jeff Bridges character inparticular but was left disappointed. For a movie called true grit I expected more grit much like the original.
As your not a western fan I’d suggest watching some, Once upon a time in the west, The good the bad and the ugly, Unforgiven or anyone from this list.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/108/1088537p1.html
Oh and one not on the list which I was quite suprised by, High Plains Drifter