- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Audio Description, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: PG-13
- Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD + Digital Copy)
- Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: May 10, 2011
- List Price: $39.99
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase True Grit on Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Filmmaking duo Ethan and Joel Coen (Fargo) make their debut in the western genre with a remake of the John Wayne classic, from the Charles Portis novel, True Grit. A classic western in the purest sense, it’s a young girl’s coming of age story that involves revenge, adventure, and sweeping cinematography — courtesy of Roger Deakins — of wide open landscapes and the earthiness of the wild west.
When the young 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross’ father is murdered by “the coward” Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), she heads to the city with money, an inherited Colt from her dead father, and a whole lot of gumption, determined to hire someone to hunt the man down and kill him. She finds who she believes to be the toughest U.S. Marshall around, retired Confederate soldier Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a gruff, hard-drinking lawman with a lot of kills under his belt.
He takes her request, and her payment, to hunt Chaney through dangerous Apache territory, but she follows him against his wishes. The two are also joined by a younger, and somewhat more stylish, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who’s been after Chaney for killing a Senator in Texas. Together, the three head off for an adventure that will be dangerous and not always friendly. Along the way, Mattie will not only learn if Rooster really is a man of “true grit,” but will prove to herself the grit within herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed True Grit, having never seen the original John Wayne film, I cannot compare the two. Perhaps it’s time for me to give that one a look as well.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
This is what a western should look like on Blu-ray. The Coen Brothers’ film uses a variety of palettes, from the sepia-toned opening and the more muted colors when the story hits the trail, to the brilliant flashes of color over the horizon of the open prairie during the film’s closing scenes, this 1080p transfer from Paramount is utterly and completely awe inspiring and satisfying. It shows a clean image with strong detail extended well into the backgrounds, deep blacks, and strong shadow details. This is a reference quality release for sure.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is hardly aggressive, but is certainly no slouch and it suits the material well. Dialogue shows no clipping, galloping horses sound full, and the surround channels do often come alive with atmospherics and some discrete sounds like gunshots, hoofs, and wagon wheels.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
The 1080p video supplements offer up an interesting bit of information on the 1880s and the crew’s research to find the appropriate wardrobe and props for the film.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Mattie’s True Grit (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:05.13) – The young actress Hailee Steinfeld talks about how she was cast in the role as the revenge-seeking Mattie Ross.
- From Bustles to Buckskin – Dressing for the 1880s (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:08.02) — Costume Designer Mary Zophres discusses her research and costume design for the film and members of the cast add their thoughts as well.
- Colts, Winchesters, & Remingtons: The Guns of a Post-Civil War Western (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:04.41)
- Re-creating Fort Smith (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:11.20) – Production designers discuss recreating the period look of Fort Smith, Arkansas in Granger, Texas.
- The Cast (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:05.25) – Have a quick look at the cast members of True Grit.
- Charles Portis – The Greatest Writer You’ve Never Heard of…. (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:30.55) – Various writers, publishers, and songwriters discuss the merits of Charles Portis as an author.
- The Cinematography of True Grit (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:02.57) – Cinematographer Roger Deakins is interviewed and members of the cast and crew offer their opinions on his work as well.
- Theatrical Trailer (2.40:1; 1080p/24)
- Digital Copy
- DVD
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
True Grit has the feel of a timeless, old-time classic western. It hits on all the classic themes, has excellent cinematography, an emotional score, and powerful acting performances from Bridges and the young newcomer Steinfeld. Western fans should enjoy it without hesitation.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B003UESJMO[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase True Grit on Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
