Film Review - True Grit

Striding on to the silver screen in recent weeks is the Coen brothers' latest entrance into atmospheric, though slightly less avant-garde than usual, period film. True Grit, as per tradition both written and directed by the duo (though adapted from a 1968 book of the same name), delves into the late nineteenth-century American frontier, where after the brutal betrayal and murder of her father, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (played by the talented and commanding young actress Hailee Steinfeld) seeks a man with the aforementioned grit to pursue the killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Eventually she settles on the most 'ruthless' of those available, an eye patch-wearing drunkard U.S. marshal of dubious moral persuasion by the title Rooster Cogburn (drawled in yet another impressive performance by Jeff Bridges).

Joining the pair (when he hasn't abandoned them due to some or other offense) is the aloof and comically proud LaBoeuf (a plucky Matt Damon, who although unusual for the role, fills it fitfully). After some disagreement about traveling arrangements, rectified by Mattie's tenacious legalism and a faith in propriety born out of her Protestant ethic, the unlikely party head off after Chaney, who they believe to have joined with the notorious "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and his gang.

True Grit appears to be one of the Coens' more dedicated genre pieces, providing a human, ground-level view of Western morals and dynamics. Stylishly, the drama is often elevated in appearance to a platform where the surprising juxtaposition of landscape and background make the settings seem like an expansive stage rather than a location. This was largely supported by some incredibly skillful lighting and an antiquated, mostly formal parole, theatrically contrasting the actors with their situation. Action was often focused on from a distant or removed perspective, adding further subtlety to the audience's role as voyeur rather than calling attention to it. In an unusual turn for the Coens, likely due to their strict adherence to the film's novelistic origin, there are five quarters of story to True Grit, rather than three. The rug was still firmly under my feet upon exiting the theatre. Ultimately, though, True Grit offers an accessible black comic realism that will leave you itching for more.