True Grit (film)

Punishment comes one way or another...

"True Grit" (2010)

Length: 110 mins

Release date: 22 December 2010 (Canada)

Genre: Adventure / Drama / Western

Director(s): Ethan & Joel Coen

Writer(s): Joel & Ethan Coen (screenplay) / Charles Portis (Novel)

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images. Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Stanfield, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin REMAKE OF THE 1969 CLASSIC WESTERN (STARRING JOHN WAYNE)

*SPOILERS AHEAD! BEWARE!*

I got this movie based on an online recommendation. IMDb (Internet Movie Database)  rated it as an 8.5/10, which is damn good and rather rare to see on that website. I had no clue what it was about, but figured it must be alright. So, I downloaded it (yes, I am the sort of asshole who doesn't pay hard-earned money for movies I might never see again), loaded the video into my VLC Media Player, hit 'Fullscreen" and laid back to watch the show.

I promptly shut it off after around 10 mins from boredom. I didn't give the film a snowball's chance in Hell...but therein lies the rub: I should have.

The next evening, after returning from work, I popped it back on to give it another go. I gotta say, I'm sure glad that I did...what a MOVIE! I mean, as of this moment while writing this, I still haven't viewed the entire movie; I fell asleep because I was exhausted from work, etc. I will, however, finish it tonight.

But no one says I can't begin a review of something prior to my completion of said workpiece; I thought (so far) that the film was excellent. Casting is spot-on pretty much, but I had NO IDEA that LaBeouf was Matt Damon until later on in the movie...mustache and whatnot threw me off, I guess.

The actress who plays the 14-year-old girl Mattie is an excellent little talent. I believe her when she acts, which is, to me anyway, the most essential aspect of the entire prospect of stage performance. She doesn't sound like she's reciting her lines, or like a cheap imitation of Anne of Green Gables or the little girls in Little House On The Prairie, either.

The film is set in vast, picturesque western terrain of sand, hills and wild bush. I was never much for westerns, but this film I can enjoy. Makes me want to download all the John Wayne flicks for collective sake.

Much of the film's theme is a portrayal of how the Native Americans were treated and dealt with back in that time. In 'True Grit', an Indian man is are hanged without being permitted any last words, Indian children are at one point kicked around for terrorizing a tied horse, etc. I figured at some point in the film (being that it is a modern-day remake) there would be nuances of anti-racism/anti-prejudice, but it never came. They just treated Native Americans like that back then, in that area especially. Then again, the Indians were noted to be cruel and callous.

The following evening...

I finished watching "True Grit", and it was good as a whole; the ending wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, as far as interest goes. I thought they could have cast a MUCH better actress to play the older version of Mattie - that woman was butt-ugly and rude-looking, whereas Mattie (14 or not) was at least rather pretty.
Throughout the movie, you keep forgetting that LaBeouf is Matt Damon - it really does not look like him like, at all....the only time a glimpse of the Damon shines through his character is when he has his cowboy hat off.

Favorite quote from the film: 

"If you wet your comb it might tame that cowlick." - Mattie, to Texas Ranger LaBeouf in their first scene together.

All in all, this movie was great, especially for a western. As I stated previously, I am not much of a fan of westerns, but I think I will give them another shot. I also enjoyed "No Country For Old Men", which is sort of a western as well - that movie was damn good.

I recommend this movie to anyone, especially if you are a fan of Matt Damon or Jeff Bridges.

My rating: