True Grit
I’m not a fan of Western movies, but I did enjoy this film. The story line was about revenge, but there was a lot more that happened besides avenging her father’s death. The storyline was not great, but it had some substance and the other obstacles that arose throughout the film kept it interesting. My favorite part of the film was the acting. It wasn’t typical acting for a Western based movie; I think it was much better. When I think of Westerns, I expect the actors/actresses to act uneducated and primitive, but the young girl in the film was very crafty, smart, and witty.
This film had an abundance of characters, which made it fun and interesting to watch. Mattie was a smart, intellectual young girl with a powerful driving force behind her. She was determined to do whatever was necessary to get vengeance. She was very articulate and she used her persuasive skills to get what she wanted. I did not expect this from her; I thought she would be an uneducated tom boy. Then there was Rooster Cogburn, the complete opposite of Mattie. He was a typical cowboy, in my opinion. Dirty, drunk, and uninterested in anything that did not benefit him personally. He came across cold and uncaring, but later in the film I was able to see that deep down he was a good man with good intentions. I did not trust him throughout the film, until the ending scenes when he redeemed himself and saved Mattie, despite his fear of snakes.
The storyline was based around Mattie’s father’s death and her trying to find peace through the capture and killing of Tom Chaney. I don’t believe that revenge will help heal our pains, but I can imagine that in a time of little justice, I would perhaps pursue an evil man also. Mattie felt empowered after killing Tom and it helped her to move on with her life and start anew. The journey that Mattie took not only helped her, but it helped Cogburn too. He was a drunk, with no drive or future, living day to day. With Mattie’s help I think he rediscovered himself and his potential. He faced his fears and he created new relationships.
I was somewhat disappointed with the end of the film. After Cogburn’s heroic actions, I wanted to see how he and Mattie continued their relationship. However, Cogburn left without saying goodbye. The end left me wondering why Cogburn would do such a thing after the hardships he and Mattie had faced together. I think he did it out of love for Mattie; he didn’t want her to feel obligated to repay him for his services. This action of leaving unpaid also gave me more respect for Cogburn because I thought he was souly in it for the money. I don’t know the real reasoning behind his actions, but I believe he had good intentions.
This movie is not one of my favorites, but it was definitely worth watching. It gave me some insight into how different life was back then. It made me think about how lucky we are today and that I shouldn’t take things for granted. It also gave me insight into how justice has evolved over the years and how thankful I am that it has. I can’t imagine living in a time where justice was scarce and crime was high. Lastly, it gave me some hope that people aren’t always how they appear or how we perceive them to be. I know that it is wrong to judge a person by their outward appearance, but sometimes it is difficult to avoid doing so. This movie just reinforced that idea that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
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