True Grit, the latest Cohen brothers movie, is a simple story told simply. The plot couldn’t be any simpler: young daughter (Steinfeld) of a slain father out to hunt down his murderer hires grizzly US Marshall (Bridges) because he has true “grit”. Mix in a proud but naive Texas Ranger (Damon) hunting for the same man but different reasons and the plot couldn’t write itself any faster.
Of course the plot isn’t the attraction here. Nor is the “grit” really. if you want true grit, you’ll go see Unforgiven; A much more believable and compelling story about drinking, killing and men that liked to do both.
Probably the best interchange between the two lead characters come when the Marshall is explaining how he fended off 7 men hunting him down. When asked about the mens motivation to kill, Bridges explains that he had robbed a bank.
“But I never killed a widow or no man robbing that bank”
“Stealing is still stealing. And its wrong”
“Yep, that was the position taken in New Mexico as well”.
Great lines well delivered. Most of the movie plays like a necessary burden only useful so long as it provides more fertile soil for stories of grit or other fun tales.
Damon is the odd fellow here and never looks comfortable or believable as the Texas Ranger. The accent is terribly unbelievable and the character never develops enough to provide much value other than to be the brunt of all jokes. Which is a shame really because the he could have brought a lot to the film.
But in the end, Bridges does a good enough job alone to carry the film and make it a really fun experience.
But true “grit”? Go see Eastwood.
About Me
I'm a professional engineer working in the software industry based currently out of Toronto, Canada. If I'm not writing code, you might find me on the hockey rink or reading the NY Times over coffee.
I have recently started to plan a trip around the world with my wife, Susana, putting my software development career on hold while I grow and learn in other ways beyond the keyboard. 