[critical] True Grit

1870, just after the Civil war, on the final frontier of the american West. Alone in the world, Mattie Ross, age 14, calls for justice for the death of his father, shot in cold blood for two gold pieces by the coward Tom Chaney. The murderer has fled into indian territory. To find and hang, Mattie hires Rooster l. cogburn, a U. S. Marshal alcoholic. But Chaney is already sought after by LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger who wants to capture against a nice reward. Having the same target, they are rivals in the hunt. Tenacious and stubborn, each of the three protagonists has his own motivation and obeyed only his code of honour. This trio of unlikely rides now to that which is the stuff of legends : the brutality and the cunning, the courage and the disappointments, the perseverance, and the love…

Author’s Note

[rating:8/10]

• Release Date : February 23, 2011

• Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

• Film american

• With Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld

• Duration : 1h50min

• Trailer :

After having scoured all genres with a brilliantly nearly constant (although declining a bit in recent years with the comedy Ladykillers or Burn after reading), the Coen brothers are continuing their journey through the cinema, addressing this time on the western, which they had already crossed the great plains, desert in No country for old men. Does lack more than the musical, but they have not said their last word.

A priori, in 2011, a history of cowboy and Indian (here reduced to the bare minimum), it doesn’t matter a bit. But the cinema over the years has been able to develop its own mythology and, like a still life to paint, create their own set of required figures such as the western.

While it has long been believed dead, he is therefore seen to resurface from time to time, Ruthless in ‘ 92 at the recent 3h10 to Yuma, and we rediscover each time, and eventually, the genre is not yet ossified, and that we can still deliver variations.

The regulars of the brothers will not be totally disorientated : the tone oscillates between fun dialogs and violence rising abruptly and we find Jeff Bridges, more old bear than ever, including emphasis yankee-chewing gum requires to see the movie in VO if you doubt still. Josh Brolin is already here in No country for old men, re-enlist, the same as, less known but equally remarkable, the chief op’ Roger Deakins, whose photograph is once again superb, between desaturation to the O brother and golden colors. If the term “western twilight” was not so overused, I would have been tempted.

Beside them, Matt Damon, in his favorite role of asshole who loves nothing more than the law (there are more roles of a cop or soldier under vacuum), the all-too-rare Barry Pepper, unrecognizable, and steals the few scenes he leaves and this girl of 14 years that the film does not take long to prove us that it is she who has the famous true grit (guts).

All this beautiful little world shakes (with talent) around choke points like : long walks on horseback, improvised bivouac, fine trigger pulling since of the distances that defy the record book, duel in the sun and out of the room without having seen anything great or innovative, but with an unwavering faith in the cinema : more than a century after its invention, and with stories being worn out, it can still make us pass great moments, to the extent that it is done with conviction and ambitions and more artistic than commercial.