True Grit (***)
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin,
Barry Pepper
Seen: February 20th 2011
*** Out of ****
The Coen Brothers have brought us a plethora of great movies; from O
Brother, Where Art Thou? to No Country
For Old Men and plenty in between; and with True Grit they continue their proud
tradition. The visuals are crisp and clear, and the Wild Wild West is palpable
on screen. True Grit tells of Mattie Ross (Steinfeld), a 14 year old girl
determined to deliver retribution to the man who killed her father, Chaney
(Brolin). She is headstrong, and this fact is established early on in this
movie, as she strong-arms a salesman into a deal he only reluctantly accepts,
and almost unknowingly so. She then scouts for assistance, since bounty hunting
is not necessarily the forte of a 14 year old girl.
Out of the names she is given, she selects Rooster Cogburn (Bridges),
as he is described as the toughest of the bunch. He is also a bit of a
scoundrel though, and getting him to work for her takes a while, but with the
money comes the Marshall, and with the Marshall comes the Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf
(Damon), who joins Cogburn as capturing Chaney is more than likely a job for
more than one man. Mattie forces her way into the travelling posse even though
they attempt to leave her behind, and the two men eventually agree on taking
her along on the hunt.
Chaney has ganged up with Ned Pepper (Pepper) and his gang, which
makes the mission all the more risky for them, and as Cogburn and Leboeuf can’t
find neutral ground in their arguments with each other, all sorts of complications
keep arising. One morning as Mattie goes for water she comes across Chaney, who
takes her as Cogburn tries in vain to stop him. A final confrontation brews out
of all of this and Mattie learns of the kickback of a big gun and how dangerous
nature can be. Cogburn and Pepper confront and Leboeuf pitches in to deliver a
tense final 20 minutes to True Grit.
Even though True Grit didn’t change my life, it is one of a dying
breed; a good western. Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld make a perfect
on-screen duo, as both are incredibly hard-headed while they come to respect
each other. Matt Damon adds a great dash of salt as the Texas Ranger who wants
the convict Chaney for himself, and Barry Pepper is hardly recognisable in his
Ned Pepper teeth. The Coen brothers capture exactly what I imagine the time to
be like; nothing feels out of place, not even the quick racial discrimination
at the start of the movie as three men are executed at the gallows.
The cost of delivering justice at all cost is not highlighted, but is clearly
visible as Mattie Ross finds out the hard way. The word Grit is defined as
firmness of character and also as abrasive particles or granules, and both hold
true here; Mattie, Cogburn, and LeBoeuf are all very firm in their convictions,
and while it can’t be said that sparks fly between them, there is definitely a
smoldering undertone to their scratchy interaction with each other. This in a
world that lends itself to strong convictions if you so choose while also
opening the door for cowardice on the flip-side of that coin, as Brolin so
efficiently shows us with Chaney; not the kind of man the ladies would want to
introduce to their parents.
True Grit is a must see for a fan of the Western, and the only gripe I
have with it is with the slightly uneven pacing on occasion. The trailer for
True Grit may have been better than True Grit itself, but the movie is still a pretty
darn good one, so make sure not to miss it if you’re into cowboys and crooks…
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