True Grit
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 41
  3. Negative: 1 out of 41
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  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    Feb 7, 2011
    100
    Terrific: tough, exciting, funny, gorgeous and bewitchingly acted, this is darn close to perfection.
  2. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    Dec 23, 2010
    90
    The first hour and half or so of True Grit is as good as anything the Coens have ever done-a sweeping Western that, like John Ford's best films, exposes the cracks in American myths of frontier justice and self-reliance.
  3. Tampa Bay Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    Dec 22, 2010
    83
    True Grit is a very good movie that might be more embraceable if we didn't know who was pulling the trigger.
  4. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    Dec 22, 2010
    83
    A fine, straightforward and engaging film that restores the salt, fire and humor that Hathaway and company drained from their source, Charles Portis' wonderful 1968 novel.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    Dec 22, 2010
    91
    The Coens direct True Grit with a light touch, but like Portis' stark, funny novel, their adventure tale shaves off none of the rough edges.
  6. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    Dec 22, 2010
    88
    The original "True Grit" might have been eclipsed by John Wayne's larger-than-life persona, but the Coen brothers' remake is an ensemble piece that feels freshly their own.
  7. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    Dec 22, 2010
    85
    Mattie is a no-nonsense mite with a forthright manner and a mean head for figures; she wears her hair in two sturdy braids whose tips have never seen the inside of any inkwell, believe you me.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Dec 21, 2010
    88
    What makes True Grit a new classic for the Coens is the way the brothers absorb the unfairly unsung Portis into their DNA, like they did with Cormac McCarthy in "No Country for Old Men." True Grit is packed with action and laughs, plus a touching coda with an older Mattie, but it's the dialogue that really sings. Great filmmaking. Great acting. Great movie. Saddle up.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    Dec 21, 2010
    100
    In some ways, much like Charles Laughton's "Night of the Hunter," which the Coens quote both musically and visually, True Grit is a parable about good and evil. Only here, the lines between the two are so blurred as to be indistinguishable, making this a true picture of how the West was won, or - depending on your view - lost.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    Dec 21, 2010
    90
    When Iris DeMent's impeccable version of the hymn is heard on the soundtrack as the final credits roll, it's the perfect touch to end a film whose aim is always true.
  11. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Dec 21, 2010
    91
    On its own conventional terms, the film succeeds – maybe not as a "Coen Brothers" movie, but as a tall tale well told.
  12. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Dec 21, 2010
    88
    True Grit is just a couple bloody gunfights removed from an old-fashioned Disney yarn. Yet it's still unmistakably a Coen brothers movie, from the stray weirdness of a bearskin-clad dentist to the bulls-eye delights of the dialogue.
  13. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Dec 21, 2010
    88
    True Grit is 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.
  14. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Dec 21, 2010
    88
    Those of us who admire Charles Portis' novel have waited 40 years for a screen version that's as literal as possible – and the Coen brothers just about deliver it.
  15. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Dec 21, 2010
    88
    This is a film by the Coen Brothers, and this is the first straight genre exercise in their career. It's a loving one. Their 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.
  16. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    Dec 19, 2010
    88
    The Coens have fashioned one of the best Westerns in recent years - a modern reworking of a classic that never feels superfluous.
  17. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Dec 15, 2010
    83
    Truer than the John Wayne showpiece and less gritty than the book, this True Grit is just tasty enough to leave movie lovers hungry for a missing spice.
  18. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Pete Hammond
    Dec 6, 2010
    90
    Smartly emphasizing Portis' quirky dialogue and dark comic tone, the Coens show the flare that made them famous.
  19. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    Dec 13, 2010
    90
    For the Coens, the plot elements are a given; the telling is all. [20 & 27 Dec. 2010, p. 144]
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 522 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 134 out of 166
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 166
  3. Negative: 19 out of 166
  1. oldfella
    10
    My wife and I are getting up there in years, and it's great that there are still movies that fit our demographic. As for being a "remake" I feel the movie lived up to the hype and then some! All the performances ran circles around the originals, no question. Leaving in the original "fill your hands" line intact was a nice (respectful) touch that seems to have flown over more than a few heads. As for rambling, seemingly inconsequential dialogue from Bridges, get over it! That's how aging people talk. The younger you are, the more bored you are by "old people" telling war stories. We ramble....because we have experiences. We are laconic and cynical.....because we earned that right.… Full Review »
  2. harrison
    10
    The first decent movie I have seen in years.

    Matt Damon does his best acting since 'the talented mr ripley' as comedic relief.

    I liked all o    f the characters, even the villians. The film is beautifully shot, perfectly paced, and the final shootout is intense.

    I've seen the original film and this one must be a 1,000 times better.

    I almost can't believe there's anyone who didn't like this movie, and then I realize this is America, and it all makes sense.

    The film is perfect until the fake looking cg rattlesnakes, other than that.....    … Full Review »
  3. monkeyman
    3
    Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon were really great in this movie. However everything else was bad and boring. Characters would talk about things that had nothing to do with the plot or development of the story. When I went into this movie i thought i was there to see an action movie. What i saw was a bunch of cowboys talking about their crappy jobs and money. Even though the acting was good the characters that these great actors were made into were over all bad. The girl was whining the entire movie. And both Matt Damon's and Jeff Bridges characters were both boring and underdeveloped.… Full Review »
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