Stagecoach and True Grit share many traits, but I believe that there are far more differences than similarities. First of all, the role of women is different. In Stagecoach, there is more than one woman, which brings about a conflict. This conflict is somewhat of an "East vs. West" conflict, where Mrs. Mallory is the rich woman from the East and Mrs. Dallas is the less wealthy prostitute that's living on the edge of civilization. Apart from this, True Grit has only one key woman as a main character, who is a young girl set out on a mission to find the man that killed her father. She is tough, playing a larger role, and is the only woman, so there isn't that sort of conflict. Also, Stagecoach is more "action-packed," in which many violence scenes are shown very descriptively. For example, the Indian scene is a long scene in which the death of many of these is shown to give it more effect. In True Grit, however, there isn't as much detail to violence. There are a few action scenes, but these action scenes don't derive their power from the actual violence/gore itself. Finally, Ringo Kid (Stagecoach) is the hero and his personality is pretty consistent throughout the film He tries and tries to get with Mrs. Dallas through most of the movie, and we really don't see too much of a personality change. Rooster Cogburn (True Grit) on the other hand changes his attitude and personality all throughout the film. He starts as a lazy, unwilling man who might even steal Maddie's money, but ends up being a very helpful man, and becomes lifelong friends with her.
As for True Grit and Unforgiven, they have some similarities, as well as some differences. First of all, the role of women in Unforgiven is somewhat of a victimized interpretation. The women are mainly seen as vulnerable, such as the opening scene when the lady is getting beaten up, as well as when they throw stuff at the cowboys. On the other hand, True Grit shows women as quite a bit stronger, such as Maddie and how she leads the plot of the story and perseveres through such a tough challenge. As for the violence that's involved in both, there's a little more focus on violence in True Grit than there is in Unforgiven. Unforgiven does have a good amount of violence, such as the last scene where Little Bill is killed, but it really doesn't show gore. True Grit, on the other hand, does have more gore and what not, such as the scene in the hut when the man is shot after Rooster and Maddie smoke it out. Unforgiven, in this case, doesn't get its power from the gore that is involved. As for character development, I believe that Will Munny changes far more drastically than Rooster, which is a common trait of the "revisionist western." Rooster does change from a lazy man to somewhat of a hero, but Will Munny recaptures his youth throughout the story. At the beginning, he is a hog farmer and former "badass," but we really don't see it at all, especially in cases like when he can't get on his horse. As we get to the end, however, he regains the youth that once was, and kills Little Bill as well as whoever else was threatening to kill him in the saloon. These films have some similarities, as well as some differences.
Overall, I believe that True Grit is more revisionist than classic western. There are many reasons why I believe this. First of all, women in True Grit are shown as more of a lead role, such as Maddie taking on the challenge that sets the whole plot. She is rarely shown as vulnerable, and rarely stirs up conflicts, such as the East vs. West conflict that is often seen in Classic Westerns. Also, I believe that Rooster changes more than a hero would change in a classic Western. He changes from a lazy man to a hero, and although it isn't as much change as a revisionist hero, it still sets it apart from a Classic Western hero. Finally, there's far more focus on gore and violence in Classic Westerns. Although I just stated that True Grit does focus in on a good amount of violence, it's not as much as a classic Western, and doesn't get its power from this violence nearly as much as a Western does, such as the Indian confrontation scene.
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