True Grit - Blu-Ray

Film: After their last work A Serious Man was very well received by critics, but could only find a small audience, the Coen brothers now deliver their most successful film to date with their quasi-remake of the John Wayne classic The Marshall. Over 150 million dollars box office alone in the U.S. speak a clear language.

True Grit is based less on the John Wayne film adaptation, but rather on the 1968 novel by Charles Portis: After her father was shot by the outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) in cold blood, his 14-year-old daughter Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) vows revenge. For 100 bucks, she hires U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track down the fugitive Chaney in Indian Territory and bring him to justice. But Cogburn is not only a professional at his job, he's also a drunkard who is so not comfortable with the idea of Mattie accompanying him on the assignment. As if that weren't enough, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is also hot on her heels, also after Chaney and the bounty on his head. But the mismatched trio has no idea what dangers lie ahead in the hunt for the killer.

True Grit is a film that impressively proves what cinema was made for: Terrific actors, with the script putting wonderful dialogue in their mouths, embedded in stunning shots captured in New Mexico and Texas by multiple Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (The Reader, No Country For Old Men), make the Coen brothers' latest a feast for the eye and the intellect, while also vigorously stimulating the humor center. In particular, the war of words between Cogburn and LaBoeuf, as well as Mattie's unbeatable negotiating techniques, make for quite a few amusing moments, though they never degenerate into over-the-top silliness, but are always clever and just plain funny.

In the engaging overall picture of the fantastic images and the beautiful score by Carter Burwell, reminiscent of classic Westerns, the actors fit in perfectly. And even if Jeff Bridges as the rough-around-the-edges, one-eyed U.S. Marshall gives probably the most dominating performance, it is primarily Hailee Steinfeld, who was only 13 years old during filming, who almost steals the show from her experienced colleagues with her strong acting. But only almost, because the actors as well as the directors obviously paid a lot of attention to the fact that every single performance can be appreciated by the audience. It would have been a shame if Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, who deliver first-rate performances here, hadn't been allowed to step out of the large shadow cast by the mismatched leading duo. But the Coens give them - and the other supporting actors - just that opportunity, which is why in the end the ensemble as a whole is positively remembered.

Naturally, True Grit is first and foremost a classic Western. And even if the staging doesn't seem dusty at all, it's still a piece of old-fashioned Hollywood cinema in the best sense of the word. But you shouldn't let that scare you off in any case. Because even though the Coen brothers have gone much more mainstream here after their rather unwieldy A Serious Man, they've hardly lost any of their genius. They've directed a film that, while it clearly falls into one genre, won't just appeal to fans of that genre. They've created a film that blends the old-fashioned and the modern into a timeless whole. Or, to sum it up in one sentence: They've made a damn good movie that you definitely don't want to miss. True Grit simply belongs on the big screen - but this work is also an absolute must-see in the home cinema!

Picture + Sound: The wonderful images no longer look quite as breathtaking on the screen, however large it may be, as they do on the big screen. However, the very good picture quality of the Blu-ray, where noise or other picture distortions are looked for in vain, does absolute justice to the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins. The sound is primarily dominated by the dialogue and the restrained soundtrack, so the tonal action then also primarily takes place in the front area. But perfectly used ambient sounds and the overall very atmospheric sound mix leave a consistently positive impression. Very good!

Extras: A total of seven short documentaries take a look behind the scenes worth seeing. For instance, in Mattie's True Grit (approx. 5 min.), lead actress Halee Steinfeld opens up about her experiences on set and tells how she got the role. Other featurettes cover the film's costumes (approx. 8 min.), the weapons (approx. 4 min.), and the cast of True Grit (approx. 5 min.). Really worth watching is the look at the recreation of Fort Smith (approx. 11 min.), which introduces the viewer to the work of the outfitters and set designers. Appreciated far too briefly is the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins (approx. 3 mins), who played a significant part in making this such a great film. Finally, there is a very detailed and interesting portrait of Charles Portis (approx. 30 min.), the author of the novel. The trailer for the film rounds off the somewhat advertising-heavy, but well worth seeing bonus package.

Conclusion: True Grit is a great Western that can inspire with excellent actors, a good story, decent wit and wonderful images. The latter come off well on the Blu-ray. In addition, there are some nice extras, but even without this bonus would be in the end only one verdict: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp