film review: true grit
True Grit is the much anticipated new release from the Coen Brothers. The film follows Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who is coming to terms with the death of her father. But unlike most 14-year-old girls who would probably head home to grieve with their mother, she sets out to take vengeance on the man that killed her father – Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). After sorting out the family’s finances with the town’s businessman, she hires Rooster (Jeff Bridges) to bring Chaney to justice. They embark on a journey across the Southern American countryside where they meet Texas Ranger, LeBoeuf (Matt Damon) who has been on Chaney’s trail for a couple of months. The three settle into an uneasy partnership, and after various confrontations and encounters, a final battle ensues – in traditional western style.
This is certainly an interesting film – it’s a comedy/western that becomes an emotional drama at the very end. While it is impeccably cast, Josh Brolin did not receive anywhere near enough screen time. As a fan of his performance in No Country For Old Men, I was hoping to see him in another leading role, but his character only appears very briefly. Jeff Bridges takes the reins (literally) as the not so typical Western hero – Rooster is a US Marshall who has lost his way, and has sunken into a drunken state. Matt Damon as the bad-turned-good cowboy from Texas is also noteworthy, but the knock out performance comes from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, a girl with ‘true grit’ indeed. She portrays the fearless and determined leading lady wonderfully. The film is told from her point of view, and she provides a voice over narration at the beginning and end of the film, to remind audiences that this is her story.
As with the Coen Brothers’ other works, dry, witty humour dominates the dialogue and unexpected brutality pops up here and there (I will never forget the moment in Burn After Reading when Brad Pitt is shot dead in the closet!). While the conclusion is a bit contrived, the film should please most Western fans, though audiences who have seen the 1969 John Wayne film of the same name, should be aware that this is not a direct remake.
