Cinematography:
Roger DeakinsComposer:
Carter BurwellCast:
Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Dakin Matthews, Paul Rae, Domhnall Gleeson, Leon Russom, J.K. Simmons, Joe Stevens (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross's father has been shot in cold blood by the coward Tom Chaney, and she is determined to bring him to justice. Enlisting the help of a trigger-happy, drunken U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, she sets out with him - over his objections - to hunt down Chaney. Her father's blood demands that she pursue the criminal into Indian territory and find him before a Texas Ranger named LeBoeuf catches him and brings him back to Texas for the murder of another man. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
The Coen brothers are known for their maximum precision, with which they approach every tested genre and film being prepared. In True Grit, this can be seen in every aspect, whether it is the casting, prop selection, the well-crafted screenplay, and above all, traditionally high-quality directing. This film is a return to the traditional western, which experienced its golden age about 60 years ago and has been rather languishing in recent decades. Precisely because it is a return to the roots of the respective genre, there are no major surprises and it is not a modern genre variation like Dead Man or Dances with Wolves. This is a classic battle of good and evil, tough men and wilderness, where law and justice are far from what we imagine in today's courtrooms. However, it is rawer, less romantic, and somewhat more sober than the famous films of the golden era. Furthermore, the presence of a stubborn girl who stubbornly seeks to avenge her father's death and bosses around the gunmen brings important lightness to the film. It is unnecessary to highlight other film elements, such as the camera or music because in the case of the Coen brothers they always work perfectly. Overall impression: 80%. If I were a fan of the genre, I would not hesitate to give it 5 stars.
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True Perfection is not achieved, because instead of redefining a genre (see No Country for Old Men), Joel and Ethan Coen rely heavily on certainty, but during the final credits, the true western force truly hit me. The biggest acting merits undoubtedly belong to Jeff Bridges, whose casually loose and uncompromisingly tough Rooster dominates, while the occasionally slightly dull Hailee Steinfeld is a surprising disappointment. I had some minor issues with the unbalanced pace of the film for quite a while, but the final half-hour saves everything. Minute by minute, the main antagonist's arrival brings tension and emotion, without a shortage of tension for even a second, not to mention the flawless finish. In retrospect, it becomes clear that some plot twists were overly evident, but despite that, I can't be upset with the film thanks to its straightforwardness and sincerity.
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A meaningful remake. A tribute to the original from the Coen brothers, but also they realize the mistakes of the original and certainly do not repeat them. They avoided a long introduction, and got rid of the landscape backdrops and the overall naivety. A dusty, tough atmosphere reigns, where harsh words fly from all angles. The Coens put their money on the characters, which turned out to be the right choice because, unlike the original, they gave them some depth (Wayne was just Wayne with a gun belt, while Bridges is actually Cogburn, and it’s the same with everybody else) and none were sidelined. This makes emotions important, while in the first version they were rather absent. And despite the outstanding performances of all those badass macho types, it is fourteen year-old Hailee Steinfeld who steals the movie (and who has the biggest balls).
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Maybe I need to apologize to the Coens or something. I saw True Grit in the movie theatre some time ago, wasn't too impressed, gave it three stars, praised the actors, Deakins and Burwell, complained about the lack of originality, that it was not in the Coens’ style, and the weird epilogue... That was it. But today I watched the DVD, and the complaints are almost gone. I don't know why that is. Maybe I already knew what I was getting into beforehand, and I wasn't expecting what I was expecting before the movie theatre screening, so I enjoyed myself. True Grit suddenly had great momentum and, in addition to the "execution", "hanged man", "Indian children" and "dentist" scenes (the latter especially), I was suddenly appreciating everything in between. Suddenly I found myself smiling for two hours, and at the end I was moved like a little boy. Just that epilogue, though...
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Even though western is far from my favourite genre, I was looking forward to True Grit, if only because it would be my first opportunity to see a story from the Wild West on the big screen. The execution is above-par, but that shouldn’t be a surprise, the Cohens know how to make movies. Unlike most viewers, though, I had a serious problem with the actors, everyone except Jeff Bridges. Damon, Brolin and the praised all the way to heaven Steinfeld felt… robotic. They just didn’t fit into the western setting, I didn’t believe they were people, I only saw characters written on paper. This leads to another complain I have: the epilogue. In the last five minutes the Cohens try to squeeze emotions and they do it in an unexpected way. In the cinema I didn’t get the dramatic intention, but now it’s clear and I appreciate it somehow because it’s fairly untraditional, but that doesn’t alter the fact that it didn’t work on me. True Grit disappointed me in the same way that No Country for Old Men did three years ago. I prefer the Cohens in comedy :)
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