Joel & Ethan Coen
Il Grinta

Why did the Coen brothers remake True Grit?

The infamous duo of American cinema returns three years later to race for the Oscar by creating a remake of the 1969 film by Henry Hathaway, John Wayne's only Oscar, awarded more for his career than for his performance. The movie is very similar (not to say identical) to the original, differing only in the shortened beginning and the ending.

A young girl, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), has her father killed by a cowardly outlaw named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and she turns to a federal deputy marshal, "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), to capture him; the two are joined by a Texas Ranger named LeBoeuf (Matt Damon).

This film leaves a bit of a bitter taste: it is certainly of praiseworthy execution, but as we know, the Coen brothers are not lacking in virtuosity behind the camera; the problem is that it ends up with a poor pace and becomes rather dull at times, much like the original. It lacks that subtle mocking irony that the Coens have accustomed us to, a true hallmark of their craft and a quality guarantee. The film holds together thanks to the exceptional performance of Jeff Bridges (I don't mean to sound blasphemous, but he holds his own against the legendary Wayne) who confirms his comfort working with the duo. Otherwise, not much more.

It's an old-style western that adds nothing to the genre, despite the directing duo not being completely new to this type of setting ("No Country for Old Men", "Fargo", "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"), and one could have reasonably expected a bit more.
The cast also includes Barry Pepper, wasted, as well as Josh Brolin, used in marginal and weakly characterized roles;

Matt Damon is certainly not at his best, while the young Steinfeld performs well.

In summary, I believe that in 2011, as in the subsequent years, if one wants to make a western, there is a need for innovation, just as Clint Eastwood did exactly twenty years ago with "Unforgiven", rather than reviving a film that is already forty-two years old and wasn't too brilliant even then.
True Grit seems, in my eyes, to be a half misstep for the Minneapolis duo, who we hope will have the opportunity to redeem themselves soon, perhaps by focusing on original scripts and leaving remakes aside (two clues make a proof: even "Ladykillers" was rather disappointing).

Returning to the question I initially asked myself, there could be many reasons, but I honestly will continue to wonder for some time, and I don't think I'll find a convincing answer.