True Grit
110 minutes
PG-13
Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers rarely disappoint; this film is not one of those rare exceptions. The screenplay is based on a Charles Portis novel (True Grit).
Mattie Ross, a quick-witted and obstinate 14 year old girl (Steinfeld), hires U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn (Bridges) to avenge the death of her father. LaBoeuf (Damon) is a bumbling inept Texas ranger. Tom Chaney (Brolin), is the man both Ross and LaBoeuf are after. Ross, Cogburn and LaBoeuf worked together through much of the movie.
The Coen brothers did not write this story, but it is no coincidence that this film shares common themes with some of their previous works.
“Well, all the time you spend trying to get back what's been took from you, more is going out the door. After a while, you have to try to get a tourniquet on it... You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity.”
-No Country for Old Men (2007)
Destiny, fate and the cost and value of seeking justice or retribution: these are all themes that seem to overlap in True Grit and No Country for Old Men. Death and meaningful life altering events can occur at any moment.
Jeff Bridges character seemed to have the most depth. He had one eye, but somehow could see what coming next, figuratively and strictly speaking. A seemingly unscrupulous man. As the film progresses, the viewer can see that he an actual human being. Not necessarily good or bad, so to speak. Like most people, he inhabited that gray area in between the two.
True Grit works on so many levels. One, this movie is entertaining at face value. Secondly, it works on a multitude of abstract and symbolic levels as well. This is something that warrants multiple viewings. Without a doubt, the best movie of 2010.
Final Verdict: 96 out of a possible 100
