True Grit (2010)

User Review

• 

  BarneyNuttall

  9 / 10

  At surface level, this is a western movie without the Wilhelm screams and tumbleweeds, appearing more as a theatrical piece than a movie.
  
  However, as I watched True Grit, so many different meanings came to mind. Is True Grit a biblical epic, suggested by the reference to snakes? Mattie, played by a sharp Hailee Steinfeld, literally falls into a hell-like cave after commiting a sin, abundant with snakes. Is the film about the loneliness of the West, an expose of the lone rangers lonesome times? Perhaps, a comment on growing human connection or the value of a journey, on masculinity, on reflection within the self: the list goes on.
  
  Whilst I personally favour the biblical route, there is so much to unwrap in this western present, which subverts the titles grimy, hardcore feel for a slow and reflexive piece.
  
  I haven't yet seen the original True Grit, so this is my first time experiencing the story. What a quiet beauty from two directors who seem to master the act of volume control.
  
  After watching this film, I feel like I need to grab a stallion and just ride, waiting to see what I find along the way. Heck, I may even bring a Bible. "And there he went, Buffalo Barney, riding into the sun with the eye of God watching his stride."

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