True Grit (2010)

Nominee

I want to live in the Wild West!... I want to be a old drunken bamf with one eye riding around on a horse and a reputation!... I want to be a young girl trying to obtain retribution while also providing maturity and know how beyond her years!... I want Matt Damon!... If you share with me any of these wants and also just appreciate a good affinity for straight up story telling, you will like this film.

The Coen Brothers took the west provided their signature writing and pacing to it, and brought to life intriguing archetypal characters with "true grit". These characters demand our respect, because we all know that we wish we were that rugged, and getting to watch them; is simply enjoyable.

The actors portraying these them all bring their best to the table. Jeff Bridges brings both the aged Marshall and the father figure to the role of Rooster Cogburn.  Matt Damon does a respectable job of playing a Texas Ranger who attempts to lead a life of structure in the setting of lawlessness.  However, most notable, is Hailee Steinfeld, only 14 at the time, she shows levels of worldly understanding that you just don't expect. They certainly make a compelling cast.

Then there is the script. I love the Coen brothers, much for the same reason I like Quentin Tarantino, they do of course give us very different views of the work, but I feel they are both obsessed with attempting to show us the ordinary in the extraordinary. By doing that they allow their audience to believe the story being told. It makes the settings and the story relatable while also making it something exciting; something new that a viewer would want to witness.

Also the cinematography and the art direction make very clear choices in setting the scene. It is in color saturation and the focus of the camera where we gain our appreciation for the world that these story takes place. A commendable job to the both of them.

I feel like I can't end this post without mentioning....I have not seen the John Wayne version... much to my embarrassment. However, to the purist I say, perhaps without right, that I think this provides a different angle on the story. It gives it a modern pacing, not to replace the first movie but simple to provide a different just as viable answer.

Overall: I really enjoyed this film. It made me appreciate the American western all over again.  Which is always a good thing. Pop some popcorn and  Happy Watching!