True Grit (2010)

Wanted Men Are Always So Hard To Find

I had not truly seen a western film until I went to see this film. Unless you count Blazing Saddles, which apperantly some don't. As such, I did not see the original (this is a remake for those who did not know). Despite my lack of westerns including the original film, I was looking forward to this film for months, the reason being it was the newest Coen Brothers movie. Joel and Ethan Coen have once again created a well put together and thought out film that was worth more of my money than I paid at the cinema. This film is simply entitled: True Grit

The plot is simple, a fourteen year old girl named Mattie ends up losing her father to a lowlife criminal by the name of Tom Chaney. Mattie is played by Hailee Steinfeld while Chaney is protrayed by Josh Brolin. I am very unfamilair with these actors, but I hope to see them in later films after watching them in this one.

Mattie attempts to catch her father's killer and bring him to justice, one way or the other. She hires U.S. Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn, played wonderfully by Jeff Bridges. Bridges' western accented voice is very rough and has a slur-like quality to it, but is he surprisingly very easy to comprehend. Cogburn is a drunk, a bit violent, and very much a cowboy.

Also looking for Chaney is Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Pronounced La Beef), played by Matt Damon. LaBoeuf informes Mattie that Chaney is a man who goes by multiple aliases and is quilty of killing a Texas politican, and as such he is out to bring him back to Texas to hang from his crimes. Mattie says she will not help LaBoeuf as she wants Chaney to be hanged in her state, as that would mean he would be executed for the crime he commited in that state, the murder of her father. There are times LaBoeuf is slightly unlikable, but it's mostly he is supposed to come off as arrogant and annoying to the others.

The movie is basically a search for Chaney, loaded with wonderful dialogue written by the Coen Bros. While I don't find it as interesting as the dialogue from Fargo (My favorite of theirs and one of my favorite films) it is nothing less than great dialogue that I'm sure will be qouted quite frequently, and sooner than later.

The film earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me. Easily one of the best films of 2010, and worth a fair amount of replays on the DVD and Blu-ray.