True Grit

by Bennett Owen

10 Outstanding Westerns of the New Millennium

The movies on this list surely will rank among the classics of the genre and are proof positive that westerns continue to attract both audiences and A-list actors and directors:

1)    3:10 to Yuma –
2)    The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3)    Open Range – (any movie with the mighty Robert Duvall automatically makes my list!)
4)    Appaloosa
5)    All the Pretty Horses
6)    The Virginian (A darn good made for TV version)
7)    Shanghai Noon
8)    Brokeback Mountain
9)    There Will Be Blood

And rounding out the top 10 - True Grit – relentless, gritty, box office gold.  It’s opening the Berlin Film Festival on February 10 and My-West will be there. 

Update:

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. True Grit has been nominated for these categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Actor
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Art Direction
• Best Cinematography

Plus a slew of technical categories that brings the tally to 10 Academy Award nominations in all, not to mention $140 million domestic box office and still among the top five a month after its release. That is True Grit. That is what a western movie can do in the sure and steady hands of America’s most wanted cinematic gunslingers, the Coen Brothers. 

And like the report of a sharps rifle echoing down a narrow canyon, True Grit has delivered an unmistakable message to Tinseltown: Westerns are making a comeback. Consider this from VOA:

“The new True Grit exudes nostalgia for old western notions of bravado, justice and blood lust for vengeance...The film is an Oscar hopeful and a favorite at the box office, showing that American movie goers are still rooting for good westerns, a genre that has faded since the 1950s but might reclaim its old glory with the right amount of grit.”

Hmmm. Last year Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for his role as an alcoholic country western singer. This year he might make it back-to-back as an alcoholic US Marshall.

And for those who still think the original outshines the remake here’s a trip down memory lane…a return to the Colorado locations where the movie was made…long but well worth the time.

Here’s Roger Ebert putting this year's True Grit into proper perspective:

“This is the first straight genre exercise in their (the Coen Brothers) career. It’s a loving one. Their craftsmanship is a wonder. Their casting is always inspired and exact. The cinematography by Roger Deakins reminds us of the glory that was, and can still be, the Western.”

Ebert points out that Jeff Bridges’ breakout role was “The Last Picture Show” in 1971…where his character goes to the theater to see “Red River” starring…John Wayne.

John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn



Of course this sets the stage for a summer blockbuster with the best title in years…Cowboys and Aliens.