Overview
A young girl's quest for vengeance leads her into the wild frontier, where grit and determination are put to the ultimate test.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- rugged
- suspenseful
- western night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the Coen brothers' faithful, finely tuned adaptation for its strong performances, sharp dialogue, and classical western craftsmanship.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn to pursue her father's killer and insists on joining the expedition.
Mattie's precise, unusually formal negotiations and exchanges shape the film's distinctive comic and dramatic voice.
Rooster Cogburn is introduced as a drunken, slothful marshal, yet his grit makes him indispensable to Mattie's pursuit.
The trek through Arkansas and the Indian Nations uses expansive wilderness vistas to emphasize isolation, danger, and endurance.
Films like True Grit, and why
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
shared revisionist western setting, revenge-driven journey, dry humor, and morally complicated lawmen
3:10 to Yuma
shared western adventure, pursuit of an outlaw, stark landscapes, and themes of justice and endurance
No Country for Old Men
shared Coen brothers authorship, eccentric characters, darkly comic dialogue, and literary western atmosphere
True Grit
shared classic western form, determined young protagonist, and partnership with a hard-drinking lawman
Movie Details
- Directors
- Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- Release Date
- 2010-12-22
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (5939)
Cast
- Jeff Bridges
- Hailee Steinfeld
- Matt Damon
- Josh Brolin
- Barry Pepper
- Dakin Matthews
- Jarlath Conroy
- Paul Rae
- Domhnall Gleeson
- Elizabeth Marvel
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is True Grit about?
- A fiercely determined teenager recruits a hard-drinking marshal and a rival Texas Ranger to hunt her father's killer across a dangerous frontier.
- What is True Grit like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of True Grit as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is True Grit violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in True Grit as moderate.
- What did critics think of True Grit?
- Critics broadly praised the Coen brothers' faithful, finely tuned adaptation for its strong performances, sharp dialogue, and classical western craftsmanship.
- Which films are like True Grit?
- Films with a similar feel include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 3:10 to Yuma, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit.
- How long is True Grit?
- True Grit runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch True Grit?
- In United States, True Grit streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
