Movie Review: True Grit

Synopsis: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him.

Being a big fan of the original movie starring the one and only Duke, I was skeptical when I heard about a remake, but relieved as soon as I heard it was being done by the Coen brothers. And they delivered exactly as expected, this is a great film.

The 2 things I really liked about the movie most are 1) the acting/actors and 2) the dialog. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are all great and I can't rave enough about Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. All of them really dove into their characters and were helped out by an excellent screenplay and some great dialog... which brings me to that. It's all about attention to detail from some perfectly crafted words lifted directly from the book. The way the characters speak, their cadence and enunciation, all seem very true to the era and spirit of the film. It really pulls you in.

Compared to the original, this one is a bit more dark and quirky. The original seemed to be all about John Wayne as a vehicle for him, while this one is more about the story itself and the entire cast of characters. It makes it a bit more well-rounded.

The movie starts a little slow but builds and there are a lot of good action sequences to liven it up a bit just when it needs. There's some violence and brutality, but it feels authentic and necessary. It could easily earn a R-rating. I also hate what happens to a horse near the end of the film and it made me sick to my stomach, but it's from the book and just how things were then. The movie doesn't try to be all politically correct, but true to the era.

All-in-all, it's another Coen brothers classic and just great storytelling.

8.5/10