True Grit

True Grit = Awesome movie!

"Well," you ask, "which one? The original with John Wayne? Or the new one with Jeff Bridges?"

"Both," I answer.

And I can honestly say this, having just watched the original Sunday night, and the new version on Monday. Both are very good.

The original is excellent, the cast is strong, and the writing is absolutely brilliant, especially for a John Wayne western. There are several scenes of dialogue that have wit worthy of a Shakespeare play. And John Wayne is at his best.

The new adaptation is also excellent. It survives by staying very true to the original; many of the lines are still the same, and the plot is changed very little. It excels by its more artistic delivery. The cinematography is excellent, and the composition of some of the scenes is really quite beautiful. The cast in this one is also excellent. Jeff Bridges takes the role played by John Wayne and gives it a grittier feel.

In short, go watch True Grit. It doesn't matter which one.

Oh, I guess I should do a story synopsis. Here you go: The father of a 14-year-old girl is killed by the coward Tom Cheney. When she discovers that the law is doing little to pursue the killer, the girl, Maddy Ross, takes matters into her own hands by hiring a US marshal, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne/Jeff Bridges), to track down the killer. She hires him because she is told that he has "true grit." Naturally she insists on accompanying the Marshal in the hunt. As the story progresses, we discover that the movie isn't about Rooster Cogburn's grit, it's about hers.