Oh Cohen Brothers, why must you always end your movies so poorly? I have seen many of your films throughout my cinema viewing lifetime and have very rarely been happy with how you conclude your movies. 'Miller's Crossing' and 'Fargo' being the only exceptions. 'True Grit' falls under the "What the hell were you thinking?!" category. Although most of the film stands on its own as great cinema, the last quarter of the movie falls short... BIG time.
The major flaw in the film is the end. After Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) finishes her mission, the movie abruptly transforms into a cheesy lifetime meets little house on the prairie movie with some blatantly bad green screening thrown in to add an extra layer of cheese. Then, what the Cohens love to do, they skip over an intense scene and just tell about it instead (like they did in 'No Country For Old Men'). They have Mattie, 25 years later, fill up screen time for what seems like no reason at all. The movie took place over the course of no more than a month. Why abruptly jump ahead 25 years and STILL leave the movie with an unsatisfying conclusion? Oh yeah, that's right. It's due to the fact that it's a Cohen Brothers film.
Despite my disappoint with the last quarter of the film, Jeff Bridges and the young Hailee Steinfeld are both mesmerizing. They completely engulf their characters and make it impossible for the viewer to not be sucked into the film. Jeff Bridges plays a drunk again, like he was in 'Crazy Heart.' The twist? He traded in the guitar for guns and is a bad ass drunk marshall who doesn't take crap from anybody. The result is awesometastic. And yes, I realize I invented a word, but how can you not when Jeff Bridges plays a character nicknamed Rooster?
Speaking of great characters, Lucky Ned, played by Barry Pepper, may have only had a small role in the film, yet he was by far the most interesting character. He nearly stole the movie in my opinion. The man who killed Mattie's father was forgettable. Well acted by Josh Brolin, but still forgettable. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of the history between Rooster and Lucky Ned or dare I mention one of Hollywood's favorite words, a PREQUEL featuring Lucky Ned.
The Breakdown: True Grit is a captivating film that engrosses the viewer, but trails off in the end like most Cohen Brothers flicks tend to do. It's worth seeing for the amazing acting and captivating story... minus the blah ending that wrapped things up in a way that was unfulfilling and ultimately cheesier than a cheese casserole made with extra cheese. Bottom line, I was a little peeved with the ending... the finale... the conclusion... the...
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