History Film / TrueGrit

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''True Grit'' is a 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]]).

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).

* DarkerAndEdgier: All three versions of the story has Mattie obsessed to high heaven with getting Chaney, but this version makes her look more crazy -- especially once we find out that the fact VengeanceFeelsEmpty is one of the reasons she allowed herself to become a bitter old woman. There is also a few more bloody scenes and the DeliberateValuesDissonance mentioned below.

* YouMakeMeSic: Mattie continually points out Rooster's misspellings - even a quarter-century later!

* BadassMoustache: Rooster Cogburn, who is described as looking like a one-eyed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland Grover Cleveland]].

* BadassBeard: Rooster has this.
** The bear cloak clad "dentist" they encounter has a beard that puts Rooster's to shame.
* BadassLongcoat: And this too.
* BoisterousBruiser: Cogburn.

** The recoil from the first shot knocked her back into the river right before the misfire. It's never explicitly stated, but getting a revolver wet like that would likely render the bullets temporarily unusable, making this a case of RealityEnsues.

* 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. However, the 2010 film does have Mattie and the revolver fall back into the river due to the recoil of her first shot, foreshadowing her fall into the snake pit. Wet bullets don't fire, but the script never directly says this.

** Played to a cringe-inducing 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.]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Rooster and [=LaBoeuf=]......[=LaBoeuf=] and Mattie.......Mattie and Cogburn. Let's just say none of them are thrilled to be teaming together.

* AdaptationDyeJob: Mattie's hair is brunette in this film.

* ForegoneConclusion: When adult Mattie begins narrating the death of her father, you know that she will survive the events of the movie [[spoiler:albeit without an arm and middle-aged]].

* AdaptationDyeJob: Mattie's hair is straw blonde in this film.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The book and 2010 film both {{Deconstruction}} 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, although the end result is still more [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] than happy.

* BloodlessCarnage: '''Strongly''' averted. When people get shot, they bleed. (And it still got away with a PG-13 rating!)

* 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, although the end result is still more [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] than happy.

* CaptainObvious: Rooster dispenses lines in this vein as though they were pearls of wisdom. Among the most memorable:
-->'''Rooster''': "[[{{Understatement}} The situation did not develop as intended]]."

-->'''Rooster:''' Damn shame. I would give three dollars right now for a pickled buffalo tongue.

--->'''Rooster''': "[[{{Understatement}} The situation did not develop as intended]]."

* TheCameo: J.K. Simmons' recognizable voice "appears" very briefly as Mattie's lawyer answering her letter.

-->'''Rooster''': "[[{{Understatement}} The situation did not develop as intended]]."

-->'''Rooster''': "Well. That did ''not'' pan out."

-->'''Rooster''': "[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment ...You are not LaBoeuf.]]"

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: The novel and the 2010 film end at a Wild West Show run by former infamous criminals Cole Younger and Frank James (brother of Jesse), who would have been out of prison by this time. Older Mattie is quite respectful to Mr. Younger, but has a few choice words to say to Mr. James. Whether this is because of James' lack of courtesy to her -- he does not stand up when she approaches him -- or because he [[KarmaHoudini never served a sentence for his crimes]] (unlike Younger) is unclear.

* {{Outlaw}} - Chaney and Pepper's gang.

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* {{Adorkable}}: Mattie in the rare moments where she actually shows she's still a young girl, like when she's trying to ease the tension between Rooster and [=LaBoeuf=] in the first campfire scene, or cheering "some bully shot".

* EyepatchOfPower: Rooster. After this role brought Wayne the Academy Award for Best Actor, he said: "If I'd known this, I'd have put that eyepatch on 40 years ago." Cogburn does not wear an eyepatch in the novel, however.

%%* BattleCry: "Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!"

* BadassGrandpa: Rooster must be closing on sixty by the time of the film, yet he still kicks ass with ease (though the book describes him as being in his forties).
* BadassLongcoat: Rooster wears one.
* BadassAndChildDuo: Cogburn and Ross, respectively.
* BattleCry: “Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!”

* 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 (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.