True Grit, directed by the Coen brothers, is the newest Western movie released to date and this movie carries both classic and revisionist styles in terms of it's key elements. True Grit had a lot of classic Western elements in it and many of these elements are comparable to John Fords Stagecoach. One of the main similarities between the two movies is the plot behind both stories. Both main characters set out for revenge because family members were lost by the main enemy. In Stagecoach we see Ringo Kid hunting down the Indians who killed his brother and in True Grit, Pattie is searching for the outlaw who who took his fathers life. In the characters and their interactions with each other, many similarities are found especially how each of the main characters are completely different but somehow must band together and aid each other through the conflicts in the story. We also see important symbols and elements in both movies which are main components of classic Westerns. These symbols are the constant use of guns, especially in the heros hands, and also the use of horses as transportation as well as the setting which is set in the frontier. These elements show us that True Grit was a largely Classic Western which tried to imitate legendary Western movies of the past.

Although True Grit was largely Classic, their was many revisionist features evident throughout the movie which are highly comparable to Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. One of the revisionist similarities thee two movies share are the obvious flaws that the main heros of the story struggle with. Unlike Ringo's unparalleled physical attributes, both William Munny and Rooster Cogburn have severe defects that they have acquired over the years. Both characters are rather aged and their days of heroism are over and with this comes alcoholism, Roosters flaw, and aged skills, Will's flaw. This is a huge component of revisionist movies and True Grit displays this quite heavily. Another feature both movies have is the underlying moral conflict that characters from both movies undergo. In Unforgiven, we see the Schofield Kids inability to cope with the killing of a man. In True Grit, the same thing happens in the log cabin where Rooster talks with a dying man. Both of these revisionist characteristics display the main piece behind revisionist Westerns and that is the realism portrayed in the story. Both movies have realistic features that tackle human emotion in a very realistic way which is what makes these revisionist Westerns so different and enjoyable.

True Grit possessed characteristics from both types of Western genres but overall I'd have to say that it was a more revisionist film. The movie was more realistic at it's heart unlike the legends of Stagecoach. It explored human emotion through the the interactions between the characters and by doing so made it much more realistic. The movie also held a cinematic presence that can be paralleled with Unforgiven. These elements include the Kuleshov effect, where long shot horse rides show negative space, as well as complex and meaningful camera shots which are completely different from the simple stationary shots in Stagecoach.