True Grit

When I first saw this trailer I just knew I wanted to see this movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GkAH7IUWOE
I had no prior knowledge of the Charles Portis novel, or the John Wayne movie (and subsequent sequel).
All I thought was, "finally a tough-as-nails Western!"

Here's the movie poster.



And here we have Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges).

A lot of people I've spoken to about Jeff in this movie complain they can't understand a word he says, and I can see where they're coming from.
My suggestion is, read the novel. Not only will you finally recall what he was talking about but you'll get a much broader, in-depth understanding of the story.



This movie was released around Oscar time and I've also heard people say Jeff did this movie to try to copy what John Wayne did when he started in the original true grit. That is, win an Oscar.

I'm not too sure about that. I just enjoyed the movie, and as always, enjoyed seeing Jeff up on the big screen.

Here's John Wayne as Rooster. He would subsequently appear in the sequel, titled "Rooster."



The story of the movie is that Mattie Ross (Hailee Stanfield) has lost her father to murder. As such she hires Rooster to help track down her father's killer and assist her in bringing him to justice.
Hailee is in a majority of the scenes and she nails the part perfectly. I look forward to seeing Hailee in many more films soon.



Also along for the ride is Texas Ranger Le Boeuf (Matt Damon). Le Boeuf is a fun character with a lot of heart.
It's also fun hearing his name spoken as it's pronounced "Le Beef."



As usual you can't really go wrong with Matt Damon in a movie. In fact I can't seem to recall seeing him in a bad movie yet.....



And of course there's the killer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin).
Throughout the film we're lead to believe Tom Chaney is a drunk, and a coward. So when he turns up it's fun to watch his interaction with the rest of the cast.
Especially Mattie Ross.



I'm glad Josh Brolin was cast as Tom Chaney as the last film I saw him in was another Western movie, Jonah Hex.
In True Grit we're given a chance to see what Josh Brolin could have brought to the Jonah Hex movie.

Sigh. Oh well.



Westerns aren't known for being all that popular these days, especially with a female audience. A big plus for this movie though was Hailee Stanfield. My wife saw the trailer and told me she wanted to see this movie purely for Hailee and the character of Mattie Ross.

Upon seeing the film my wife told me she enjoyed it, except for the song right at the start of the end credits.

I'm inclined to agree with her.

I've now seen this movie twice. And read the novel. Prior to seeing this movie I highly suggest you read the novel. Not only is it a superb read but it makes the movie so much better.

I give this movie 8 1/2 out of 10.

Please feel free to leave a comment below. I welcome all comments.
Until next time!