The movie begins with the narration from aged Mattie Ross who explains that when she was fourteen her father was murdered by one of his hired hands named Tom Chaney. Before making the final gate way he took her father’s horses & two California gold pieces. Distressed with the chain of events she wanted to avenge her father’s death. After some inquisition she came across one U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn whom she promised a reward of fifty dollars provided he tracked Chaney & brought him to justice. In the meantime a Texas Ranger named La Boeuf arrives on the trail of Chaney. He offers Mattie his assistance & reveals that he had been in pursuit of Chaney for several months over a murder of a state senator at Texas. Mattie however rejects Boeuf’s offer when she realizes that Boeuf was more interested in the bounty put up by the Texas government & taking Chaney back would not serve her purpose which was punishing him for murdering her father. So how they square their differences before going for the man hunt is what this story all about.
Jeff Bridges delivers a stupendous performance as Marshal Cogburn, a one eyed drunk. The conflict between Boeuf & Cogburn was well portrayed. Well all the praises cannot be accounted for only male leads, Hailee Steinfeld as young Mattie Ross nailed the character as the head strong girl who was ready to avenge her father’s death. It was hard to believe that True Grit was her first contribution to mainstream movies. This was definitely Coen brothers’ first western movie yet with great cinematography & soundtrack they have flared marvelously their very own classic that will be remembered for the days to come. It’s really elevating to know that such western movies can still be made.
My Rating : 8.5/10
I am a big western fan and it's always nice to see a good one come out. They are few and far between unfortunately. This version of "True Grit" was quite good and I'm sure a great treat for those who have not seen the original. However, I prefer the original and do not like the fact that every critic dismisses it. Also, I do not find that the Coen's are much more faithful to the book than the original which has been claimed by many. The last ten minutes of the original is much superior to the new one! But neither is as good as the last part of the book.
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