A movie review: True Grit

I went to the cinema last Saturday to go see True Grit, a film by the Coen brothers. As it was a western, which is not my favourite genre, I was slightly sceptical, but I really enjoyed the film. The Coen brothers did not dissapoint. It wasn't as good as No country for old men, a previous Coen brother film, but very fun to watch! No country for old men, although brilliant, scared the bejesus out of me. I'm easily scared, and Javier Bardem was the creepiest dude I've ever seen on film, with that airgun, yikes. Wouldn't want to encounter him in a dark alley.

But back to True Grit. The film is about a 14-year old girl, Mattie Ross, whose father was murdered by a thieving coward. She wants to see the murderer put to justice, so she goes to the big city and hires US marshall Rooster Cogburn, who is supposedly the best man for the job. Cogburn doesn't care much for the girl wanting to travel with him into the Indian territory to find the man. Although the marshall is a drunk and smokes a lot and shoots without asking, the girl is confident he has 'true grit' and will succeed in taking down her father's murderer Tom Chaney. They are joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf(pronounced funnily in the film as LaBeef), who is also hunting for Chaney. Cogburn is played by Jeff Bridges, who is truly perfect for the role. His witty puns as the drunken, rambling Cogburn are brilliant. The Texas Ranger is played by Matt Damon (I didnt recognize him at first with that giant moustache), his role is not that big, but I think he does a great job playing a proud Ranger who constantly argues with Cogburn to show he is the better man for the job. The interactions between the two are really funny to watch. Very impressive was the girl who played Mattie Ross. She gives a very convincing performance and her acting is really great, which is not always the case for teenage actors. Mattie is portrayed as a stubborn girl, adamant on getting her beloved father the justice he deserves, and who is not easily scared. Her love for her horse does show she is still a young girl and this softens the role a bit.

It really is a great film for a nice night at the cinema. Even if western are not your favourite genre, this one is not just some gunslinging action film, it's funny, exciting,the atmosphere of it is just right and the acting performances are really good. If anyone has 'true grit', it's 'the dude' Jeff Bridges. I give the film an 8/10.
Definately worth seeing!