Review of True Grit (2010) by Anthony L — 20 Nov 2012

Despite the best efforts from directors Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit never reaches the greatness of classic westerns such as The Searchers or Unforgiven. Although nobody expected a masterfully made film, The Coen Brothers gave many people more than they were expecting. Adapted from Charles Portis's book of the same title (which is very good), True Grit is an interesting, well written and well acted film. Though it is her first big performance, Hailee Steinfeld is great as Maddie Ross, possessing all the qualities Portis described in the book. I believe the soundtrack for this film was very appropriate, building up suspense at the right times and showing drama at other times. Spanning an appropriate 110 minutes, True Grit is one of the best films of 2010 and shows how technically impressive The Coen Brothers can be.

The film starts off with Maddie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) explaining how her father was shot down at a pub by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). After consulting the town sheriff about finding her father's murderer, she decides to find the meanest U.S. Marshall around. She is recommended Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Although he does not agree to her terms at first, he is persuaded into doing the job for her. Later joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), the three pursue Lucky Ned in indian territory. The film finishes like any classic western would, with an epic showdown between one lone protagonist and a gang of outlaws.

The great performances from this film sets is aside from many other modern films. Being a rookie, Hailee Steinfeld surpasses expectations and gives a performance that nobody expected from a young actress. Jeff Bridges who is phenomenal in the role of the drunkard and mean Rooster Cogburn. Jeff Bridges does a good job of transitioning his character from what he think of him at the beginning and at the end. Both LaBeouf and Rooster are seen as dynamic characters to the audience, both showing their kind sides at the end of the film. From the believable narration at the beginning of the film to the final scenes of Maddie at age 39, this film is an emotional ride filled with great performances from its lead cast.

Another thing that I was stunned by when first watching this film was the cinematography. It has beautiful landscape shots, impressive costumes and admirable sets. True Grit could almost be considered an "artsy" film or something you would find on The Criterion Collection because of its cinematography. The landscape shots and angles in general remind me of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven which is an art-based film. Besides the cinematography, the screenplay was very well written. Charles Portis and both The Coen Brothers got credit for writing the script, meaning they used lines from the book but added in extra scenes and details.

Technically, this film is very good. The cinematography, soundtrack, acting, screenplay and costumes are only a few things that have amazed both critics and general audiences alike. The only reason this film doesn't compare with the other classic westerns is because it doesn't spend enough time building up the characters to get the audience to sympathize over them as much as characters in other great films. Other than that one point, True Grit is a great film. The depth of the plot and the beauty of the shots is enough for anyone to love this film. True Grit is a rare film to find nowadays with all the popcorn movies made. This film has a very art-house feel to it thanks to the masterful filmmaking by The Coen Brothers who once again, hit a home run.