Friday, June 3, 2011

True Grit DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: 10-Oscar Nominee Arrives on DVD

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, True Grit stars Jeff Bridges in the iconic role of U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, a fearless, former Rebel who lost his right eye to a bullet during the Civil War. This mythical tale of retribution and redemption unfolds in Fort Smith, Arkansas in the 1870s, where we find the film’s young narrator, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), eager to hire the meanest bounty hunter around to apprehend the man (Josh Brolin) who murdered her father in cold blood.
Upon learning of Rooster’s reputation for ruthlessness, the spunky, 14 year-old immediately seeks to retain his services, matter-of-factly introducing herself with the titular line, “They tell me you’re a man with true grit.” She goes on to explain to the grizzled gunslinger that she has good reason to believe the fugitive has joined a gang led by Lucky Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and fled on horseback into Choctaw territory.
Eventually, Rooster, who’s been battling booze, grudgingly agrees to track down Chaney with revenge-minded Mattie in tow. Before setting out, quite by coincidence, they cross paths with LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger already on Chaney’s trail for another slaying.
The trio’s ensuing sojourn intermittently allows for lighthearted interludes of levity as a little comic relief, such as a tension-breaking spanking of Mattie’s bottom. Still, the plot does sober significantly, as it makes its inexorable march to a fateful showdown with Chaney.
Jeff Bridges must be commended for his fresh interpretation of the roguish Rooster Cogburn as an endearing contradiction of machismo and vulnerability. Kudos are also in order for cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose sweeping, big sky panoramas are nothing short of spectacular.
Still, it’s hard to fathom why this Coen Brothers remake failed to tweak the original classic Western in any memorable fashion. True déjà vu.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and disturbing images.
Running time: 110 Minutes
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: A digital copy of the film; Mattie’s True Grit; From Bustles to Buckskin – Dressing for the 1880s; Colts, Winchesters & Remingtons: The Guns of a Post-Civil War Western; Recreating Fort Smith; The Cast; Charles Portis – The Greatest Writer You Never Heard of; The Cinematographer of True Grit; and a theatrical trailer.

1 comment:

Nicole_Tee said...

I really liked this movie because of how well Steinfeld portrays her character. I work for DISH Network so naturally I love movies and I watched it as soon as it came out in theaters. If you didn’t get the opportunity to watch True Grit in theaters and can’t wait for Netflix or Redbox then catch it on DISH through July 7th. The movie is only 99cents and there’re a few other new releases they’re offering for the same killer price. http://bit.ly/kQa0db