I don't disagree with anything you or the earlier posters said. In particular, I couldn't agree more that Jeff Bridges turned in one helluva performance.
But I stand by what I initially said, at least to this extent -- It was a movie that didn't have to be remade, certainly not by the Coen Brothers. I expect somethingspecial from a Coen Brothers movie. Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Fargo. All special, all classics for the ages.
True Grit? A very good movie, a big improvement on the original. But is it special? A classic? My answers are no and no.
Yes, it was a vast improvement on the original. But did it have to be made? Perhaps, by a studio looking to make a buck. But by the Coen Brothers? My answer is a big, fat, emphatic "no".
And my question remains, "What were they thinking?" A rhetorical question. "Let's make a few bucks." Either they were out of fresh ideas, or they were made an offer they couldn't refuse. But, being the cynic that I am, there is no doubt in my mind that they made this movie for and were "thinking" of one thing and one thing only -- a paycheck. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that. But I believe that no matter what else they may ever do from this day forward, they have forever tarnished their status as true auteurs.
Just my opinion. A strong one. But just one man's opinion nonetheless.
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