The Coens intended their film to be a more faithful adaptation of Portis's novel than the 1969 version starring John Wayne; in particular, they wanted to tell the story from Mattie's point of view.

True Grit was shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins and scored by composer Carter Burwell—both Coen regulars—while the brothers themselves edited the film, under the Roderick Jaynes pseudonym.

While on a trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas, 14-year-old Mattie Ross's father is murdered by hired hand Tom Chaney.

Sent to collect her father's body, Mattie learns that Chaney has likely fled with "Lucky" Ned Pepper and his gang into Indian Territory, where the local sheriff has no authority.

The sheriff gives three recommendations, and Mattie chooses the "meanest" one, Rooster Cogburn, who initially rebuffs her offer, doubting both her grit and her wealth, but she raises the money by aggressive horse trading.

This, combined with their differing opinions of William Quantrill, prompts Cogburn to end his arrangement with LaBoeuf, who leaves to pursue Chaney on his own.

Initially, the outlaws deny any knowledge of Ned Pepper or Chaney, but Cogburn, using Moon's worsening injury as leverage, convinces him to cooperate.

Twenty-five years later, Mattie receives a letter from Cogburn inviting her to attend a traveling Wild West show in which he is performing.

[7]Mattie Ross "is a pill," said Ethan Coen in a December 2010 interview, "but there is something deeply admirable about her in the book that we were drawn to," including the Presbyterian-Protestant ethic so strongly imbued in a 14-year-old girl.

The film's producer, Scott Rudin, said that the Coens had taken a "formal, reverent approach" to the Western genre, with its emphasis on adventure and quest.

In the film, Mattie bargains over her father's casket and proceeds to spend the night among the corpses to avoid paying for the boardinghouse.

This scene is, in fact, nonexistent in the novel, where Mattie is depicted as refusing to bargain over her father's body and never entertaining the thought of sleeping among the corpses.

The following month, Paramount Pictures announced a casting search for a 12- to 16-year-old girl, describing the character as a "simple, tough-as-nails young woman" whose "unusually steely nerves and straightforward manner are often surprising.

"[11] For the final segment of the film, a one-armed body double was needed for Elizabeth Marvel, who played the adult Mattie.

After a nationwide call, the Coen brothers cast Ruth Morris – a 29-year-old social worker and student who was born without a left forearm.

Other hymns are also referenced in the score, including "What a Friend We Have in Jesus",[16] "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand",[17][18] and "The Glory-Land Way".

[2][5] In the holiday weekend following its December 22 North American debut, True Grit took in $25.6 million at the box office, twice its prerelease projections.

Paramount anticipated that the film would be popular with the adults who often constitute the Coen brothers' core audience, as well as fans of the Western genre, but True Grit also drew extended families - parents, grandparents, and teenagers.

On Rotten Tomatoes 95% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 280 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10 and with its consensus stating: "Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.

[25] Roger Ebert awarded 3.5 stars out of 4, writing, "What strikes me is that I'm describing the story and the film as if it were simply, if admirably, a good Western.

"[27] Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "The Coens, not known for softening anything, have restored the original's bleak, elegiac conclusion and as writer-directors have come up with a version that shares events with the first film, but is much closer in tone to the book ... Clearly recognizing a kindred spirit in Portis, sharing his love for eccentric characters and odd language, they worked hard, and successfully, at serving the buoyant novel, as well as being true to their own black comic brio.

"[28] In his review for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Colin Covert wrote: "the Coens dial down the eccentricity and deliver their first classically made, audience-pleasing genre picture.

"[29] Richard Corliss of Time named Steinfeld's performance as one of the best of 2010, saying "She delivers the orotund dialogue as if it were the easiest vernacular, stares down bad guys, wins hearts.

"[30] Rex Reed of the New York Observer criticized the film's pacing, referring to plot points as "mere distractions ... to divert attention from the fact that nothing is going on elsewhere."