MOVIE REVIEW: True Grit

At the beginning of Fargo (1996), the Coen brothers open with a disclaimer: 'THIS IS A TRUE STORY.' At the end, as the credits role, we're told quite the opposite: 'The persons and events portrayed in this production are fictitious.' A comment on art, or a tongue-in-cheek joke at our expense, call it what you want, it nevertheless establishes the Coens' penchant for leading the audience through myth, mysteries and nonsensical scenarios, and our willingness to be led. And they've led us to some very special places.

And one of the reasons why we continually allow the Coens to do this is their track record of vibrant and memorable characters, from struggling writer Fink to the now iconic Dude. True Grit continues the tradition, bringing together Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a tough as nails fourteen year old girl bent on bringing her father's killer to hang, and the grizzled drunkard Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges).

It's a straight-as-an-arrow opening, as Mattie and Rooster set out to bring down killer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Along the way, they slowly bond over bonfire banter, corpses hanging from trees and midnight cabin raids. Though familiar territory, it's kept thrilling by the wonderful chemistry between Mattie and Rooster, with Matt Damon (always better than he's given credit for) playing the pompous but likeable oaf LaBoeuf, an irksome but charming foil to fuel Rooster's competitive fire. Tidy though it may be, it all works extremely well.

It's a shame then that, with convention working so well, it's an unconventional ending that lets True Grit down, dodging a traditional (and crowd-pleasingly Western) wrap-up for something quieter, more conceptual, more Coenesque -but in this case- quite unsatisfying. Without ruining anything, you'll twist it around, mull it over, and try to make it work, but something about it doesn't seem quite right (though sure to set internet forums ablaze).

Like we said, the Coens have led us to some wonderful places in the past. But in True Grit, we can't help but question whether it's a place the Coens feel we need to be, rather than where we want to be.