Article by Cameron Spink

 

"I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough"

 

This movie lives up to its name; it is a truly gritty movie. Right from the start this western re-make holds no Hollywood glamour. With Joel and Ethan Coen directing, producing and writing the screenplay for it this is no surprise.

 

Mattie Ross (played superbly by first-timer Hailee Steinfeld) is forced to sort out her families affairs after her father is killed by one of his hired hands Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). To avenge her father she hires Deputy US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (award-winning Jeff Bridges) who knows the terrain which Chaney has fled to. They are joined along the trail by Texas Ranger LaBeoeuf (surprisingly strong performance from Matt Damon) who has been tracking Chaney for crimes he did in a past life.

 

The film centres upon the character play between Ross, Cogburn and LaBoeuf. At times there is great tension between their alliance yet, when pushed, each one displays true grit. Cogburn is usually a drunk yet makes up for his incessant chatter by being very handy in a gunfight. LaBoeuf is a proud man who is quick to get impatient. However, he is loyal and dutiful to his quest. Mattie is a sharp-talking 14 year old who, for all her poise, is really only a young girl in a very big wilderness.

 

Cogburn is inevitably the show-stealer. It is not only voice that is hard to understand. Perhaps it is because of his quite bizarre and lengthy history (he goes on and on about his ex-wives) or because he has unorthodox methods. Either way, the viewer is never quite up to speed as to what Cogburn will do next. He also provides great comic relief and this movie could have just as well be named Dry Wit as he flaunts a callous intelligence to both Judge and outlaw combined.

 

True Grit contains significant biblical references ranging from the opening, which sites Proverbs 28:1 "the wicked flee though no one pursues" and the famous Psalms 23 verses. There is also great profoundness in Mattie's commentary that "there is nothing free in this world... except the grace of God". The central theme in this movie is justice to those that have sinned. However, Mattie sees it as her role to avenge her father's death. This is not biblical justice as, in the end, we are judged by God and not by man.

 

There is limited swearing in this movie, which makes the film a much more enjoyable feature. It doesn't, however, skip over the gory details of occurrences in the wilderness. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. Still, it is an enjoyable few hours, with the only letdowns being the inability to understand much of what the few leading male characters are saying and the slight sag of the storyline towards the middle stages of this film.

 

4/5 stars