Movie Review: True Grit

The Western genre has always appealed to me. I've seen a good number of classic westerns, including a good deal of Clint Eastwood's classics. When it comes to True Grit, I haven't seen the John Wayne original, I have heard great things about it, but haven't gotten around to seeing it. On the other hand, The Coen Brothers update of True Grit, is the best western I have seen in quite some time.

True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross(Hailee Steinfield), whose father was brutally murdered by an outlaw drifter named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Determined to catch Chaney and see him hung for his crime, Mattie seeks help of Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track Chaney down. Skeptical at first, Cogburn reluctantly agrees to Mattie's offer. Also along for the ride is Texas Ranger La Boeuf (Matt Damon), who is in pursuit to bring down Chaney for the murder of a Texas senator.

True Grit is a hell of a western. The Coen Brothers are the main reason this works so well. In the hands of lesser directors, this could have been a disaster, but The Coen Brothers' immense talent is on display here. Their script crackles with wit, humor, and sharp dialogue. It's great to see them bring their trademark style to a true western (No Country For Old Men could be considered a modern western due to its setting). Each scene is finely tuned and well thought out; the Coen are true craftsman at directing.

The acting is also superb. Jeff Bridges does a damn fine job as Cogburn, embracing the character and playing him as an old,miserable drunk. He also shows off his comedic skills which haven't been on display since his turn as The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Bridges' performance here makes me forget about the abnomination that was Tron: Legacy (which did the impossible, make Bridges looks like a bad actor). I also have to give major kudos to Haliee Stienfeld. She's only 14 years old, but I can say her performance in this film should help her gain a long and successful career. She has the talent and poise of an actress twice her age.

The one gripe that I had with this film that single-handedly dropped this out of my top 5 for the year, was the fact that the entire premise of the film, the tracking down of Chaney, was resolved with very little build-up or tension. Brolin only has about 10 minutes of screen time total. I found the ending to be very anti-climatic and it lowered the quality of the film a little bit.

Still, True Grit is a great film. This is the Coen Brothers most accessible film to date and as usual, they knock it out of the park. Their script and direction is brilliant. The acting is dynamite all around and I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Bridges and Haliee Stienfeld pick up Oscar nods, they deserve them. True Grit is the best western since Unforgiven.

4.5/5 Stars