Hailee Steinfeld faces off against Jeff Bridges
With messages you don't usually see in modern films, True Grit manages to ride above a typical revenge flick to become a new classic western.
The introduction has a middle-aged woman telling a story from when she was fourteen and her loving father had been unjustly murdered by a hired hand named Tom Chaney. The film then cuts to the lady as a fourteen-year-old in a very tough wild west Arkansas where no one seems to care or sympathize at her loss. The girl, named Mattie Ross, is intent on both securing her father's assets and hiring a bounty hunter to capture the killer and bring him back for trial. For the second half of her to-do list she goes to Rooster Cogburn who, despite his heavy drinking, is rumored to be the best hunter around. Chaney has a head start, though, and Mattie is clashing with another bounty hunter--La Boeuff--who had pursued Tom without success from Texas, so the mission seems risky at best.
It is somewhat uncomfortable seeing that the entire basis of the movie is a girl getting retribution; that said, we are told Chaney leaves a trail of bodies all over the nation. Even so, Mattie doesn't seem to concerned with stopping future crimes--she is motivated by vengeance and vengeance alone. This already awkward scenario is further amplified by the use of hymns throughout the film. These might serve as a mockery of religion in a dark world, but could be accepted as merely to show that no one but God cares for anyone (such as Mattie) or anything (such as justice). Both objections are valid and could provide a good reason to skip the film; it must be pointed out though that justice and spiritual allusions are not in and of themselves the worst things to grace cinema (as anyone who sees Little Fockers instead of this will be sure to notice).
A more obvious problem with the film is the character of Mattie. Though acted well and fascinating to watch, she is unrealistically smart; secure; and emotionally-balanced. I doubt many if any fourteen-year-olds would calmly negotiate when having their recently deceased father's goods being unjustly taken away, or keep their cool after waking up to a government official in their room insulting and threatening to both sexually and physically abuse them, or show no emotions when shot at, or take any of the trials Mattie faces as well as she does.
These faults shown, it must be said True Grit manages to rise above "cynical revenge-flick" and become an exceptional movie. Good contributing factors are that it is well-made, and also is good fun, and also has some excellent acting. That last point should be reiterated: Jeff Bridges as Cogburn and Matt Damon as La Boeuff are both exceptional (Josh Brolin as Chaney is barely shown), but Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie is so amazingly in depth and able to convey so many emotions the character is practically believable and we can ignore the doubt to enjoy the story. Probably the biggest atrocity of the year is the choice to have Steinfeld be submitted for awards as a supporting actress when she is undoubtedly not the just the star of the movie but one of the acting champions of the year.
The best part of the film is a bit more original, though. With such an undoubtedly cool character as Cogburn it would have been very tempting for the movie to follow the trends and revel in a general contempt for the law and organized government. Fortunatly, the writer/directors are Joel and Ethan Coen (O Brother, Where Art Though) who hate being predictable almost as much as they hate the G-rating, and choose to faithfully adapt Charles Portis's novel with a balanced portrayal of authority. Sure, the more legal heroes have natural corruption, but we see just a bit more beneath all that. It is hard to explain more without spoilers, but hopefully just knowing the movie manages not to be such an Avatar will make one want to see it.
While not a negative point, it seems imperative that a warning should be given: The PG-13 rating is a stretch here. The language squeaks under the MPAA barrier and sexual content is (shockingly!) absent, but the violence is graphic. Younger viewers (and squeamish older ones) will doubtless be disturbed by the splattering flesh, severed fingers, and other bloody images as well as painfully harsh treatment to a child. Most of us can simply enjoy the excitement of it all, but it seems necessary that everyone knows what they are getting into.
The violence is not a substitute for plot, though. It is simply there to build setting, and the picture has perfect pacing and an excellent story, making it both riveting and entertaining.
While it seems shocking that I am giving a movie with so many negative elements an A, I have to say the True Grit is an unusually good film as well as an enjoyable one and is definitely worth a look.
