MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

True Grit Rated PG-13

Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.  Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon.

Photo © 2010 20th Paramount Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

It would seem like folly to remake True Grit, a beloved 1969 John Wayne western (in which the Duke won his only Academy Award), but (as similar as the two films are) the Coen brothers are intent on filming the original Charles Portis novel instead, in tribute to the beauty of the written word. 

This film is a rousing success, much starker and darker (but nonetheless funny). 

The story is a first-person recollection of how 14-year-old Mattie Ross (the wonderful Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rueben “Rooster” Cogburn (Bridges), a hard-living, hard-drinking and out of shape gunslinger, to seek and kill Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who murdered her father. 

Along the way, they will meet LaBoeuf (Damon), a Texas Ranger who has his own reasons to track down Chaney. 

True Grit is a wonderful tall tale that takes its time introducing us to its cast of characters before setting off on its wilderness trek. 

Mattie is a girl with nothing less than vengeance on her mind, and the 13-year-old Steinfeld imbues her with a combination of pluck, wisdom and innocence that creates the best performance by a women actor I’ve seen this year. 

Bridges is also great in his iconic role, and the film is filled with wonderfully cast actors who make the most of the great dialogue. 

There is an early horse-trading scene (written by the Coens for this version) that I am sure will be quoted by film geeks for years to come.  The stunning cinematography by Roger Deakins, and the beautiful score by Carter Burwell (quoting gospel hymns) compliment this great film. 

I particularly appreciated the moral arch of this western, in which lessons are learned and sacrifices are made.  Evil is real and also banal, a Coen Brother’s trademark in films as diverse as Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), and No Country for Old Men (2007). 

But this time there is a sense of God’s presence (if only in the heart of a Bible-quoting little girl) that makes this movie shine more light. 

Parents should be warned that there is one scene of R-rated violence in this PG-13 film. 

This is my favorite movie of 2010 and highly recommended.



Pitchfork/Halo Ratings:
Four halos.
This tall tale of a Western is great filmmaking, with some satisfying moral development along the way.

Three pitchforks.
Most of the characters are disreputable; there is a stark scene of a public hanging and one scene of grotesque violence that will likely shock younger children, who shouldn’t be going to a PG13 film, anyway.

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