With a cast headlined by talented actors such as Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin, it’s hard to be ignorant of True Grit ’s existence. Consider it was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and it’s hard to be ignorant of its excellence. Yet somehow, True Grit manages to eclipse even the most confident of expectations.
Based on the 1968 novel of the same title by Charles Portis (and adapted a year later into a feature directed by Henry Hathaway), the film begins with the narration of Mattie Ross, describing the murder of her father. She explains that Frank Ross, an honest man, was gunned down and killed by the drunkard Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) in an act of unpredictable betrayal. Knowing full well that the law will not does not intend to punish Chaney, 14-year-old Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) makes the decision to pursue and finish him off herself. Fueled by the fiery desire to make Chaney pay for his crime, she leaves her mother and younger siblings at home and - after a fair amount of monetary persuasion - recruits U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her. The two are shortly joined by hotheaded Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who isn’t subtle about sharing his distaste for Cogburn. The trio embarks, separates, and reunites as they track Chaney; and (although they are an unlikely posse) save each other’s necks more than a couple of times.
The film’s performances are spectacular - unsurprising, coming from screen veteran Bridges. He plays Cogburn in a more gritty (if you’ll excuse the pun) and intimidating way than John Wayne, the role’s previous embodiment (for which he won his only Oscar). Although a marshal, Bridge’s Cogburn seems to abide by his own code rather than ethics set down by the law. He drinks, shoots haphazardly, and can’t seem to get his story straight when called upon to testify in court. But Cogburn proves to be the best guardian for Mattie along her quest; someone experienced enough to find and capture Chaney, and sympathetic enough to protect the girl.
For his part, Brolin makes a terrifying villain. Although surprisingly not the leader of a gang but a mere member (subordinate to Barry Pepper’s notorious outlaw Ned Pepper), Chaney shows no remorse for killing Mattie’s father - and proves just as unabashed when threatening a child. Damon steps comfortably into a supporting role as LaBoeuf, who tries ever so hard to give his feats proper acknowledgement, but ends up making a fool of himself more often than not. Yet we can’t help but like LaBoeuf, as he is one of the very few people willing to help Mattie.
True Grit ’s most pleasant surprise comes in the form of fresh face Hailee Steinfeld. Mattie is brave, determined, and mature for her age, but she doesn’t come off as a know-it-all, or pretend that she does. Although she demonstrates a considerable amount of the film’s namesake characteristic, she is still a child at heart. She still wants to tell stories by the campfire, hardly knows how to use a gun, and weeps when her horse becomes exhausted and is put out of its suffering by Cogburn. Steinfeld’s dialogue is anything but skimpy, and I can only imagine how difficult memorizing her lines must have been. In fact, one of the strongest points of the film was the script, written by the Coens and based tightly upon the elegant but wordy dialogue of Portis. True Grit reminded me of The Social Network in this way - both films require the viewer’s absolute attention during their back and forth “tennis-match”-like scenes.
Anyone familiar with the Western genre knows that the environment in which the action takes place can be nearly as important as the action itself, and the scenery here is not lacking. Every open valley, expansive sky, and snowy mountaintop is enhanced by the brilliant cinematography style of Coen pro Roger Deakins. The film teems with gorgeously cinematic shots that subtly remind the viewer what a rare adventure they’re a part of, without lessening the reality of what the landscape really was: dangerous and untamable.
Apart from a superfluous “25 years later”-type epilogue (which could have easily been substituted with a more concise narration), there wasn’t anything about this film that I disliked. All the elements of a top-notch Western are there, working together cohesively to keep the viewer completely engaged throughout the 110-minute running time. My pick for best film of the year, True Grit is a true gem.
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