| A still from the movie  | Critic's Rating: **** Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld Direction: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Genre: Western Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes Readers Rating: *** |
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Story: After her father's murder, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) sets out in search of a bounty hunter who can help her wreak vengeance against the killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) who has disappeared in remote Indian country. She hires Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), the toughest US Marshall she can find in cowboy country (Oklahoma in the 19th century) and sets out on a dangerous mission. But will the over-age, reluctant hero actually prove he has true grit and will their seemingly disinterested accomplice, the Texan ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), prove to be the good Samaritan too? Mattie's arduous trek will furnish some startling answers.
Movie Review: Not so long ago, Quentin Tarantino declared that revenge was a dish best served cold and dished out the delectable vendetta epic, Kill Bill. It's time for a revision as the Coen brothers prove that revenge is a dish best served hot. Watch hot-blooded, hot-headed and headstrong Mattie pick up the gauntlet of revenge and insist on avenging her father's death with an acumen that far belies her tender age and you'll begin to wonder who has true grit. Is it the disheveled, drunken, going-downhill Marshall Cogburn who couldn't care less about the motive and the mission? Is it the Texan ranger LaBoeuf who would love to give the cheeky girl a good spanking (and that, he does) and keeps making a guest appearance in the treacherous trek? Or is it the teenage girl who does it all -- bargains, pleads, threatens, gets trigger-happy too -- to keep the momentum on?
Truly, with True Grit the Coen brothers not only revisit the Western once again, they even re-invent the revenge drama by creating both memorable characters and a mesmerizing mood. The film may be a re-make of the 1969 film which grabbed an Oscar for John Wayne, but the Coen Brothers have added their own signature style to it. Jeff Bridges has rendered an Oscar worthy rendition of Rooster Cogburn who hides a heart of gold beneath a rough exterior. And young Hailee Steinfeld is stupendous as the doughty young teenager who crackles like fire, never loses spunk and holds her own in dangerous territory. Matt Damon provides able support as the iffy hero who always manages to pop as savior and good friend. But more than all this, it is the gritty narrative and the purist style that pulls you towards this old-fashioned tale of old-fashioned valour.
Don't miss it.
Movie Review: Not so long ago, Quentin Tarantino declared that revenge was a dish best served cold and dished out the delectable vendetta epic, Kill Bill. It's time for a revision as the Coen brothers prove that revenge is a dish best served hot. Watch hot-blooded, hot-headed and headstrong Mattie pick up the gauntlet of revenge and insist on avenging her father's death with an acumen that far belies her tender age and you'll begin to wonder who has true grit. Is it the disheveled, drunken, going-downhill Marshall Cogburn who couldn't care less about the motive and the mission? Is it the Texan ranger LaBoeuf who would love to give the cheeky girl a good spanking (and that, he does) and keeps making a guest appearance in the treacherous trek? Or is it the teenage girl who does it all -- bargains, pleads, threatens, gets trigger-happy too -- to keep the momentum on?
Truly, with True Grit the Coen brothers not only revisit the Western once again, they even re-invent the revenge drama by creating both memorable characters and a mesmerizing mood. The film may be a re-make of the 1969 film which grabbed an Oscar for John Wayne, but the Coen Brothers have added their own signature style to it. Jeff Bridges has rendered an Oscar worthy rendition of Rooster Cogburn who hides a heart of gold beneath a rough exterior. And young Hailee Steinfeld is stupendous as the doughty young teenager who crackles like fire, never loses spunk and holds her own in dangerous territory. Matt Damon provides able support as the iffy hero who always manages to pop as savior and good friend. But more than all this, it is the gritty narrative and the purist style that pulls you towards this old-fashioned tale of old-fashioned valour.
Don't miss it.
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