True Grit

True West Grittily Gripes the Audience
True Grit, PG-13, *****Plus, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld. Paramount Picture. Directors Joel and Ethan Coen. Length: 110 minutes.

This excellent film begins with Mattie Ross (Hailee Stenfeld) describing what happened to her father. Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) killed her father and stole his horse. She wants revenge.
The music score contrasts with the plot. The audience hears Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and What a Friend we have in Jesus. It is a fast moving film that gives the audience a feeling of presence in a time of violence, thievery, and corruption. The viewer is placed within the confines of the scenes taking place.
It is as if the audience is with the actors throughout this110 minutes of solid entertainment.
Mattie arrives in town to find a man of grit. She soon finds Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). I have heard several people say it just want be the same without John Wayne playing Cogburn. I am a big fan of John Wayne. He has some terrific roles. However, do not discount this excellent film. The performance of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn is right on target. He is one tough hombre. Grizzled and ready to take on the bad guys with fierce determination. Bridges performance is just different. It does not take away from what Wayne did with the character Rooster Cogburn. He just plays Cogburn with more coldness.
Mattie convinces Rooster to hunt for Tom Chaney. A Texas Ranger by the name of LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) has been tracking Chaney all the way from Texas. Cogburn and LaBoeuf team up to find Chaney. They do not want Mattie tagging along, but Mattie is determined to be a part of bringing justice to her father’s killer.
This film really does have “True Grit.” It takes the audience back to a time when violence and vengeance was a way of life for many. I would like to read the book, True Grit by Charles Portis. Supposedly this book has the violence of the time period detailed within its covers as does the film.
Bridges captures Rooster Cogburn as a hard living, hard drinking, and one tough lawman with a heart he keeps concealed most of the time.
The young Mattie is full of fire and determination. Rooster Cogburn knows his trade, and he as a streak of violence. The film paces well without boring moments. It takes the audience from the theater seat right into the cold heartedness of the time period.
One feels as if they are with Cogburn, Mattie, and LaBoeuf every step of the way on their journey to bring the bad guys to justice.
Rooster Cogburn is a grizzled old coot who drinks, and talks like a “Drunk Parrot.” His stories are hilarious. He is an older guy who is overweight and gets winded when he exerts himself. The dialogue really brings realism to the characters and plot.
All of the characters are portrayed in a down-to-earth manner. The good, the bad, and the ugly merge into one.
Bridges combining his own portrayal of Rooster Cogburn will remind the audience of some Lee Marvin performances in Paint Your Wagon, Cat Ballou, and other roles he played during his career. Bridges did not mimic Marvin, but his performances will bring back memories of comparison.
In many ways, the movie demonstrates what happens when we seek vengeance and violence. It gives the audience a wider perspective on settling of scores and what to expect if one seeks that path.
Bridges should be up for an Oscar nomination. He inhabits the character with true grit and solid determination. He became Cogburn with his voice mannerisms and story telling. As Jimmy Buffett would say in the song, Stories we could Tell, “All the stories we could tell If it all blows up and goes to hell.”
I do not take anything away from the original. It was made in a different time period, but do not miss this remake of a film full of “True Grit.”
“True Grit” is a wonderful story about life during the old west. It also shows that time marches toward the final sunset.