IR: True Grit

I wasn't really thrilled to be seeing True Grit, since I have the preconception that all Westerns are just about a load of mean ugly men being stand-offish in the dust. However, it was actually really good, and though it did include ugly men and dust, the film made up for it in other ways.


The main character is a girl (!!) of fourteen, who has taken it upon herself to avenge her fathers death since she figures no-one else is up to the task. She reminds me of Tiffany Aching from the Terry Pratchett books, being very brave and resolute and taking on responsibilities that grown men shy away from.

Jim told me she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, which is absurd, since she is plainly in the leading role.

The acting is solid, and the locations, costumes and houses look faithful enough. It also reminded me of Carnivale, with the faith and the dirt and the cruelty and the strange people. I think I recognise one of the actors from it even - the clerk at the beginning could be the man in Carnivale who makes the white masks. They managed to source people with actual interesting faces, flobbly chops and skinny noses and the like, which added to the authenticity.

Pictured: Realism
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The storyline had a few poignant moments that I thought would never happen, for instance...

SPOILER ALERT
the girl ends up spending non-fighty time with her fathers killer.
SPOILER OVER.

Only one bit bothered me, which was that Matt Damon at one point has his mouth smashed up being dragged along by a lasso, but a few scenes later his teeth have regrown and it is perfect again. Overall though, brilliant film, and I am looking forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD.

4 stars


I can't remember when I last left a cinema feeling so satisfied.
True Grit delivers on every level, striking a great balance between morality and lawlessness, gore and heroics, the real old west and the old west of fantasy.

The central trio of two lawmen and an unbelievably badass 14-year old girl are all very well drawn and well acted. Rooster Cogburn is morally questionable, undeniably filthy but also downright indomitable which makes him worthy of our admiration. Jeff Bridges plays him with a voice like a sack full of gravel being dragged around in a deep well, which I love. Matt Damon(as LeBeouf or 'LaBeef') is wonderfully dandyish and full of high-falutin Texan verbosity. And finally Hailee (eeeee) Steinfeld is amazing as Mattie Ross, who is smarter than a horse-seller, brave as a ranger and considerably tougher than old boots.

Not as tough as Mattie Ross.
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She does more, and more believably, than an actress twice her age generally gets to do in a dozen mainstream films. She rides a horse, shoots a gun, gives everyone a thorough dressing down and of course seeks revenge for her murdered Daddy. The fact that she was not nominated for a best actress Oscar (only best supporting actress) is quite atrocious, especially since she is not only the main actress but the main character.

The settings are impeccable and long term Coen-colloborator DOP Roger Deakins deserves merit for shooting such an authentically western Western.

I could go on for ages deconstructing the costumes, lighting, dialogue, baddies, moral issues, comparisons with other great westerns (not to mention the original John Wayne version which I haven't seen) and so forth, but it would simply end up restating my first point: this film delivers on every level.

You will come out feeling like you want to go and watch it again, and I certainly plan on doing so.

5/5