TRUE GRIT

Mattie, a tough 14 year old wants to track down the gunman who killed her father and hires Marshall Rooster Cogburn specifically to track him down and kill him.  It is after all the Old Wild West where the rule of law is very much an eye for an eye. Cogburn is an irascible old reprobate heavy-drinking one-eyed gunslinger, complete with eye patch, and much larger than life and although he accepts Mattie’s commission he shirks from taking her with him on the hunt.  He doesn’t bargain for the steely resolve of this young girl who is seemingly frightened of nothing. 

It is the mere fact that this is very much Mattie’s story, and even narrated by her, that make this so much more than just another western yarn with the good guys chasing the bad guys, or vice versa.

It is a great adventure story and even for non-aficionados (like me) of this genre it’s a ripping movie.  The part of Cogburn was made for Jeff Bridges who nails it so perfectly. … evidently in the original version of True Grit John Wayne played the part, which won him an Oscar, and there is a good chance that history will repeat itself.  Although in fairness it is the totally amazing Hailee Steinfield (13 years old in real life) whose performance as Mattie is so incredible that I simply cannot see how she could possible not win an Oscar too.

Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are in the movie too …. but not that often.

R.T.V. It’s a Coen Brothers film, and although this is certainly no masterpiece like ‘No Country For Old Men’ they still remind us that even when they make a less than perfect movie, it still heads and shoulders above most of the competition.