True Grit (2010) - The Coens' grand western present

♥♥♥♥♥

 

4 Film Excess nominations:

Best Non-Adult Actor: Hailee Steinfeld (lost to Kiernan Shipka for Mad Men S4)
Best Score: Carter Burwell (lost to Treme S1)
Best Costumes: Mary Zophres (lost to Pat Field for Sex and the City 2)
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins (lost to Wally Phister for Inception)

 

+ Best Western of the Year

 

Jeff Bridges doesn't appear to welcome bullshitters on this poster for Ethan & Joel Coen's True Grit

 

A strong 14 year-old girl, Mattie Ross, has lost her father to a traveling bandit. She wants revenge, so she pays the decisive Marshall Rooster Cogburn to lead her to the miscreant. 

True Grit is the 15th feature from Oscar-nominated Minnesotan master writer-director brothers Ethan and Joel Coen (Fargo (1996)), the second adaptation of Charles Portis' (Norwood (1966)) same-titled 1968 novel, adapted first as True Grit (1968) with John Wayne in the part that won him his only Oscar. It seemed to me an obvious folly to try to readapt Portis' novel that already had resulted in one classic western, and I feel confident that the Coens knew this taking on the project. Still, amazingly, they succeed in making a hell of a new take on the story. - Their movie is quite different from the earlier version, reportedly closer to the novel in terms of plot and tone.

Oscar-nominated Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski (1998)) makes Cogburn his own, wisely not appearing to channel any inner Wayne he might forster. Hailee Steinfeld (Barely Lethal (2015)) is credible and feisty as the girl with grit galore, and the two create many enjoyable moments in True Grit. Matt Damon (Syriana (2005)) as a Texas ranger whose self-confidence gets tested and Josh Brolin (Hollow Man (2000)) as the villain are also good, and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan (1998)) is terrific. The film is distinguished by its sweeping production values, breathtaking photography by Roger Deakins (Doubt (2008)), and a truly formidable score by Carter Burwell (The Fifth Estate (2013)), - as well as wonderful costumes by Mary Zophres (Dumb and Dumber (1994)).

True Grit is thoroughly enjoyable, brandishing grand characters that spit out marvelous dialog as if it was chewing tobacco. A story of tough people during tough times and a very American tale.

Related posts:

Ethan and Joel Coen: Hail, Caesar! (2016) - The Coen brothers serve a whimsical, flashy letdown

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) or, The Man Who Wasn't Dylan   

2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]  

2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008 
The Big Lebowski (1998) - The stoner comedy to reign over all

Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Barton Fink (1991) or, The Writer's Hell

Here's a short interview with Matt Damon about his performance in the film

Cost: 38 mil. $

Box office: 252.2 mil. $

= Huge hit

[True Grit was released December 22 and runs 110 minutes. Open casting sessions for the role of Mattie Ross were held in Texas with 15,000 girls applying and Steinfeld landing the part, her theatrical feature debut. Filming took place from March - April 2010 in New Mexico and Texas. The film opened #2, behind Little Fockers, with a 24.8 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it stayed #2 for another week, before it climbed to #1 and spent a total of 6 weeks in the top 5. It grossed 171.2 mil. $ domestically (67.9 % fo the total gross), becoming the first Coen movie to cross 100 mil. $ domestically as well as their highest grossing film to date. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 13.4 mil. $ (5.3 %) and France with 11.5 mil. $ (4.6 %). Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5/4, equal to the rating it gets here. The film got nominated for 10 Oscars: For Best Picture, Director, (both lost to The King's Speech), Adapted Screenplay, (lost to The Social Network), Actor (Bridges), (lost to Colin Firth in King's Speech), Actress (Steinfeld), (lost to Melissa Leo in The Fighter), Art Direction, (lost to Alice in Wonderland), Cinematography, (lost to Wally Phister for Inception), Costumes, (also lost to Alice), Sound Mixing and Sound Design, (both lost to Inception). - It won none, and was additionally nominated for 8 BAFTAs, winning one, for cinematography. True Grit is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.4 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of True Grit?