History Film / TrueGrit

* FriendlySniper: LaBouef fills this role in the climax in all three versions.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: LaBouef has been pursuing Chaney for years without success, although given Chaney’s ButtMonkey status this doesn’t exactly impress Mattie. Roosters [[TheGhost unseen fellow Marshals]] [[ScarilyCompetentTracker Waters]], [[TrueCompanions Potter]], and [[ByTheBookCop LT Quinn]].

* SparedByAdaptation: In the novel, Odus Wharton (the prisoner Rooster is testifying against during his EstablishingCharacterMoment) later escapes from jail, confronts Rooster and is killed by him, something which isn't included in either film. The 2010 version also mentions The Parmalee's younger brother Carroll (who whose -admittedly minor- role was AdaptedOut of the first film) but leaves out Mattie mentioning that he was killed during a failed bank robbery in the early twentieth century.

* FamilyThemeName: The Parmalee brothers (Harold, Farrell, Carroll and Darryl) all have named with an l sound in or near their endings. However, it's averted with CannonForeigner Clement Parmalee in the second movie.

* SparedByAdaptation: In the novel, Odus Wharton (the prisoner Rooster is testifying against during his Establishing CharacterMoment) later escapes from jail, confronts Rooster and is killed by him, something which isn't included in either film. The 2010 also mentions The Parmalee's younger brother Carroll (who went unmentioned in the first film) but leaves out Mattie mentioning that he was killed during a failed bank robbery in the early twentieth century.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: At one point, the narration says:
-->It was a cashier's check for $2,750 drawn on the Grangers Trust Co. of Topeka, Kansas, to a man named Marshall Purvis. I said, "This is a cashier's check for $2,750 drawn on the Grangers Trust Co. of Topeka, Kansas, to a man named Marshall Purvis."

'''Rooster:''' ''Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!''

* RealityEnsues: In the 2010 film, when Mattie shoots Chaney, the recoil knocks her off her feet and into the river. When she tries to shoot again immediately after, the wet bullets dont fire.

* RealityEnsues: In the 2010 film, when Mattie shoots Chaney, the recoil knocks her off her feet and into the river. When she tries to shoot again immediately after, the wet bullets dont fire.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: In the novel, Rooster, while drunk, uses Mattie's revolver to shoot at a rat. Mattie demands he reload the two fired chambers, which he does using defective caps, and still drunk. This is what causes it to misfire twice later on. The 1969 film has Rooster use his own revolver and the 2010 film doesn't include the scene at all, leaving the misfires unexplained.

* BittersweetEnding: The 2010 version, leaning somewhat more towards bitter. [[spoiler:Mattie has to have her arm amputated due to a snakebite. She never sees Cogburn or Leboeuf again. She did get an invitation from Cogburn years later to see him again, but she arrives a few days after he had already died. She also has to wonder for the rest of her life what happened to Lebeouf, since he stayed behind when Cogburn had to take Mattie to get medical help for the snakebite. And on top of that, due to not being involved in very ladylike affairs, Mattie never gets married and the movie ends with her as a somewhat lonely middle aged woman. Despite all of this, they ultimately did achieve their goal of bringing Mattie's father's killer to justice.]]

* AdaptionInducedPlotHole: In the novel, Rooster, while drunk, uses Mattie's revolver to shoot at a rat. Mattie demands he reload the two fired chambers, which he does using defective caps, and still drunk. This is what causes it to misfire twice later on. The 1969 film has Rooster use his own revolver and the 2010 film doesn't include the scene at all, leaving the misfires unexplained.

* AncestralWeapon: Mattie's father's revolver, which she tries to kill the murderer with, and eventually (in the first movie) gives to Rooster and (in the second movie) [[spoiler:shoots Chaney with when she first meets him during the chase. Surprisingly, it was a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}]].

The book was adapted to film twice. The first version, released in 1969, was directed by Henry Hathaway and starred Creator/JohnWayne as Rooster Cogburn. The movie had two sequels: 1975 ''Film/RoosterCogburn'' (original release title ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073636/ Rooster Cogburn (... and the Lady)]]'', starring John Wayne and Creator/KatharineHepburn), and 1978 ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078422/ True Grit]]'' (made for TV, starring Warren Oates).

* AntiHero: Rooster is a rude, crude, sloven drunkard who only agrees to Mattie's offer out of sheer annoyance, and spends some of the trip to find Mattie's target roaring drunk. [[spoiler:And just before the climax, tells Mattie that the entire trip was an irritating waste of his time, which demoralizes [=LaBoeuf=] enough to leave the group in the morning, and seemingly abandons her to her father's killer when she's caught.]] This is, of course, [[spoiler:just a ploy to follow the group back to their camp.]] He also stops [=LaBoeuf=] from whipping Mattie.

** Played to a cringe-inducing [[CrossesTheLineTwice and/or hilarious]] degree in a minor scene early on: when two white men and an Indian are being hanged, both white men are allowed a FinalSpeech but the second the native opens his mouth he gets the hood shoved over his head and [[KilledMidSentence the platform is immediately released when he starts singing his death song.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The book and 2010 film both {{deconstruct}} the classic Western, populating it with drunks, puffed-up know-nothings, and amoral bandits rather than romantic heroes. But when it comes down to it, Rooster, [=LaBoeuf=], and ''especially'' Mattie demonstrate real heroism and courage, and they succeed in bringing down their man.

A second adaptation was released on December 22, 2010, directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers. Staying [[TruerToTheText closer to the source material]], it places a greater emphasis on Mattie, played impressively by 14-year-old Creator/HaileeSteinfeld. Creator/JeffBridges as Rooster and Creator/MattDamon as [=LaBoeuf=] costar, with Creator/JoshBrolin as Tom Chaney. The film was nominated for ten UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, but won none.

* BloodlessCarnage: '''Strongly''' averted in the 2010 version. And it still got rated PG-13!

* DirtyCoward: Tom Chaney, who attacks only when the opportunity shows itself. The epigraph of the 2010 film drives this home, with [[TheBible Proverbs 28:1 :]] "The wicked flee when none pursueth."

* BadassAndChildDuo

* BrainyBrunette: Mattie

%%* {{Undertaker}}

* {{Undertaker}}

''True Grit'' is an 1968 Western novel by Charles Portis. Its main plot revolves around planter's daughter Mattie Ross, seeking revenge for her father's murder -- with the aid of a notorious marshal Rooster Cogburn -- "The meanest one, double-tough, knowing no fear" aging badass drunkard -- and a younger Texas Ranger [=LaBoeuf=]. The plot is played straight, involving some chasing, some tracking, some humor, much shooting, saving the girl from a snake pit, one-to-four [[FinalBattle final showdown]] of Rooster against bandits and the final scene of Rooster riding away, proud and alone (sadly, there's no [[RidingIntoTheSunset sunset]]).