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People that live in
the eastern United
States look at the
western movie genre
totally different
than people who grew
up in the western
United States.
Especially the plain
states like Wyoming,
Montana, Nebraska,
Colorado, Idaho,
Texas, and the
Dakotas. In the
eastern U.S. western
films are like
fantasy/adventure
films. To the
western U.S…. it’s
almost like those
movies were true,
like they can be
looked at in a
historical context.
That’s why when the
initial trailers
came out before
True
Grit
had a theatrical
run, most of my
family looked at it
as sacrilegious.
They remade a
western classic AND
a John Wayne
movie?!!?!?! It was
greeted with
skepticism to say
the least. But if
anybody would be
able to remake
True
Grit
and manage to make a
watchable movie from
an already classic
movie, it would be
the Cohen Brothers.
Joel and Ethan Cohen
didn’t just manage
to make a great
movie with
True
Grit…
I’m tempted to say
that it’s better
than original. It’s
honest approach to
an uneasy tale to
tell is really
exceptional and it’s
a movie that’s an
absolute joy to
watch.
True
Grit
is based on Charles
Portis’ novel about
a young girl, Mattie
Ross (played by
Hailee Steinfeld)
that has to grow up
very fast to get the
justice and revenge
she feels is
deserved after her
father is brutally
killed. She takes a
train from Yelk
County, Arkansas to
Fort Smith- where
her father was
murdered. Once
arriving at Fort
Smith Mattie’s aim
is to recover her
father’s body and
sew up his affairs
that he had in the
town. But she
doesn’t just want to
handle her father’s
affairs… she wants
justice too. And
when she realizes
that the local
authority intends to
do nothing about her
father’s murder. She
decides to get
justice and revenge
for her father
herself. She enlists
the help of U.S.
Marshall Rooster
Cogburn and hires
him to hunt down her
father’s murderer.
Rooster, a fiery,
drunk old cowboy
isn’t known for his
arrests… he’s known
for his kills.
That’s pretty much
what Mattie wants.
So with Texas Ranger
LaBoeuf in tow,
Rooster and Mattie
ride into Indian
territory to hunt
down the man that
killed Mattie’s
father. The story is
so much more than a
rundown though. It’s
about Mattie growing
up very harshly from
this experience.
It’s about Rooster
developing a bit of
civility and it’s
about LaBoeuf
getting redemption
for previous
mistakes. It’s a
great story and the
perfect western
tale.
What
makes
True
Grit
so perfect here is
the work done by the
Joel and Ethan
Cohen. They directed
a perfect western
for 2010. There’s
nothing fancy about
how they shot their
scenery like
Dances With Wolves…
it’s just a very
straight-forward
approach that tells
a perfect story. On
top of that you’ve
got Jeff Bridges
playing the role of
Rooster Cogburn…
essentially making
him an entirely
different character
than John Wayne’s
version. Matt
Damon’s awesome as
LaBoeuf. And most
impressive Hailee
Steinfeld’s
performance as
Mattie is amazing.
It’s hard to fathom
that this is her
first real film,
because she’s
amazing here.
True
Grit
has bonus features
that are a bit
lacking with this
Blu-ray but it’s
still a serviceable
release. There’s a
cast/crew gushing
session. There’s a
very cheesy one-way
interview with
Hailee Steinfeld,
that’s still fairly
informative. And
then there’s a look
at author Charles
Portis that compares
the 2010 movie to
the book and the
original 1969
version of the film.
There’s little to no
mention of John
Wayne on the disc
with the exception
of the Portis
featurette. That’s
kind of
disappointing, but
it is what it is and
with everything I
imagine there were
restrictions. It
doesn’t take
anything away from a
great movie done
excellently by the
Cohen brothers.
True
Grit
is a spectacular
movie. There’s no
denying that.
Bridges and Damon
are great but still
shown-up by Hailee
Stenfeld who’s
incredible, and the
Cohen brothers shot
a breath-taking
movie. It’s the
perfect western.
This is a must-watch
for everybody out
there… not just fans
of the genre.
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