SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: TRUE GRIT

"TRUE GRIT"
(2010) (Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A 14-year-old Arkansas girl hires a gritty 19th century federal marshal to find and capture the man who killed her father.

PLOT:

It's the 1870s and Mattie Ross (HAILEE STEINFELD) is a 14-year-old Arkansas girl who's mature beyond both her age and the era in which she lives. She puts her determination to use in wanting to hire someone to find and capture Tom Chaney (JOSH BROLIN), a handyman who's just killed her father.

No one takes her seriously, including Texas marshal La Boeuf (MATT DAMON) who's been tracking Chaney for a long time and over great distances following the man having also murdered a Texas senator. He believes that Chaney is traveling somewhere in hostile Indian territory and may have met up with his cohort, Lucky Ned Pepper (BARRY PEPPER).

La Boeuf wants nothing of her offer to hire someone to find her father's killer and bring him to justice, a sentiment shared by Rooster Cogburn (JEFF BRIDGES), a federal marshal with a gritty reputation of getting the job done but usually with a high body count. Despite his demeanor, Mattie is sure Cogburn is the man for the job and thus hires him with the condition that she travel along with him.

He agrees, and leaves the next morning, not with her by his side, but La Boeuf who wants to take Chaney back to Texas for a handsome reward. Mattie will have no part of that or being left behind. Accordingly, she rides out and finds both, and then continues with them on their manhunt. From that point on, they travel across potentially dangerous lands, following leads they hope will take them to Chaney.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: They might if they're fans of westerns, anyone in the cast, or films by the Coen brothers.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: HAILEE STEINFELD plays a 14-year-old 19th century girl who's steadfastly committed to hiring a bounty hunter to find, capture and bring her father's killer to justice. Mature beyond her years and especially the era in which she lives, she doesn't take no for an answer and persuades Cogburn to do the job (for pay).
JEFF BRIDGES plays a gritty federal marshal with a reputation for getting the job done but not without a high body count for which he offers no apologies. He initially wants nothing to do with Mattie and her job offer, but eventually caves to her persistence, although he isn't crazy about her tagging along. He drinks to the point of intoxication, smokes and uses profanity.
MATT DAMON plays a Texas marshal who's also after Chaney, and similarly wants no part of Mattie or her offer, and he doesn't get along with Cogburn either. Nevertheless, he comes in and out of Mattie's quest. He occasionally smokes a pipe.
JOSH BROLIN plays the handyman who murdered Mattie's father (and has killed others in the past) who goes on the run into Indian country, unaware that Mattie, Cogburn and La Boeuf are on his trail. When he does, he tries to kill them.
BARRY PEPPER plays one of Chaney's cohorts, although he's obviously the killer's superior. While a criminal, he wants no harm to come to Mattie despite Chaney's desire for just that.; JEFF BRIDGES plays a gritty federal marshal with a reputation for getting the job done but not without a high body count for which he offers no apologies. He initially wants nothing to do with Mattie and her job offer, but eventually caves to her persistence, although he isn't crazy about her tagging along. He drinks to the point of intoxication, smokes and uses profanity.
MATT DAMON plays a Texas marshal who's also after Chaney, and similarly wants no part of Mattie or her offer, and he doesn't get along with Cogburn either. Nevertheless, he comes in and out of Mattie's quest. He occasionally smokes a pipe.
JOSH BROLIN plays the handyman who murdered Mattie's father (and has killed others in the past) who goes on the run into Indian country, unaware that Mattie, Cogburn and La Boeuf are on his trail. When he does, he tries to kill them.
BARRY PEPPER plays one of Chaney's cohorts, although he's obviously the killer's superior. While a criminal, he wants no harm to come to Mattie despite Chaney's desire for just that.; MATT DAMON plays a Texas marshal who's also after Chaney, and similarly wants no part of Mattie or her offer, and he doesn't get along with Cogburn either. Nevertheless, he comes in and out of Mattie's quest. He occasionally smokes a pipe.
JOSH BROLIN plays the handyman who murdered Mattie's father (and has killed others in the past) who goes on the run into Indian country, unaware that Mattie, Cogburn and La Boeuf are on his trail. When he does, he tries to kill them.
BARRY PEPPER plays one of Chaney's cohorts, although he's obviously the killer's superior. While a criminal, he wants no harm to come to Mattie despite Chaney's desire for just that.; JOSH BROLIN plays the handyman who murdered Mattie's father (and has killed others in the past) who goes on the run into Indian country, unaware that Mattie, Cogburn and La Boeuf are on his trail. When he does, he tries to kill them.
BARRY PEPPER plays one of Chaney's cohorts, although he's obviously the killer's superior. While a criminal, he wants no harm to come to Mattie despite Chaney's desire for just that.; BARRY PEPPER plays one of Chaney's cohorts, although he's obviously the killer's superior. While a criminal, he wants no harm to come to Mattie despite Chaney's desire for just that.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this western drama that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a handful of mild expletives, while some religious and colorful phrases are also uttered. A brief, joking comment alludes to non-existent bestiality.

Violence consists of various people being shot and killed, and some being hanged, while other violence (such as the severing of fingers and a stabbing) also occurs, as does less severe contact. Some of the deaths and other material have fairly bloody results, and those scenes, some potentially disturbing visuals and moments of potential peril (including that involving rattlesnakes) could be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers.

Some of the behavior might be enticing for kids to imitate, while bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material and thematic elements. Drinking (including intoxication) and smoking also occur in the film.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Mattie states (via voice-over narration) that Chaney had fallen to drink and cards.
A condemned man says his problems are due to drinking.
Mattie tells Cogburn he wants to be kept in whiskey, with him replying he simply takes that (presumably from those he captures or kills).
Cogburn drinks.
Cogburn pulls a bottle of whiskey from a box/crate with more bottles and he comments on that.
Cogburn drinks whiskey at night and is then seen drinking more in the morning. He's acting fairly intoxicated and La Boeuf notes that Cogburn didn't sleep during the night. He then tries target shooting various items while in the state.

BLOOD/GROSS STUFF: Mattie states (via voice-over narration) that Chaney murdered her father, and we see a separate view of the dead man lying on the ground (from a distance, no blood that we noted).
Mattie has to identify her father's body in a casket.
We hear Cogburn speaking from an outhouse where Mattie first introduces herself (from the outside). We don't see or hear any bodily functions.
Mattie sees a hand sticking out from a sheet-covered body. She then later has to sleep in the same room as two bodies, with the undertaker saying she can sleep in a coffin if she likes.
La Boeuf states he's used to campfires made of twigs and buffalo chips.
Cogburn and Mattie come across a dead body hanging high up from a tree branch, with a large bird on it and pecking away. Cogburn has Mattie go up to see if it's Chaney, and then orders her to cut the body loose. She does and it falls hard to the ground where we see (from a bit of a distance) that it's missing one eye (with a bloody eye socket). Later, another man rides off with that body over his horse.
Cogburn has Mattie go up on a cabin's roof and cover the chimney to try to smoke out those inside. We see smoke come from under the door, but those inside don't want to come out. When they apparently hear Mattie up on the roof, they fire a shot through that near her, while Cogburn opens fire from ground level. We then see that one was hit in the leg (bloody cloth material is over that), and both he and another are tied up as Cogburn tries to get info out of them. Worrying about his leg wound, the younger man starts to talk, but the second grabs a knife and slices off part of the man's fingers (he holds up his bloody hand) and then stabs him in the chest. Cogburn then shoots that second man in the head, killing him (with bloody results on him, the wall behind him, and some splatter on Cogburn's face). After we see the severed digits on the table, the first man, now even bloodier, talks for a moment and then dies on the floor.
From a shootout with Ned and his men, we see that La Boeuf was hit by one of Cogburn's rifle shots during the exchange of gunfire (we see blood, but Cogburn notes the shot went through his shoulder). Cogburn then notes that La Boeuf nearly bit off his tongue (we see blood on La Boeuf's lips), grabs it and tries to pull off the rest (in his mouth, and not seen in detail), but La Boeuf stops him. As they head off, La Boeuf has some blood on his shirt, while we see several dead bodies propped up along the cabin wall and others on the ground.
La Boeuf has a little blood on his face.
Cogburn (face) and Ned (hand) are bloody following a shootout.
Chaney is bloody.
After falling into a cave, Mattie discovers a long-dead corpse there, greatly decomposed. When she tries to pull it over to her (for a knife on the body), it appears that the leg comes lose in the pants. She then sees that several rattlesnakes are coiled up in the decomposed abdomen area of the body. After one of them has bitten Mattie on the hand, we see two small bloody puncture marks there. Cogburn then uses his knife to crisscross cut those marks, drawing more blood, while he sucks out and then spits out some of the poison.
La Boeuf's head and mouth are bloody from Chaney hitting him.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Mattie states (via voice-over narration) that Chaney murdered her father, and we see a separate view of the dead man lying on the ground.
No one seems interested in going after Chaney for murdering Mattie's father, with the local sheriff saying Chaney is now on the U.S. marshals' list.
Cogburn testifies in court about a case involving him and his violent ways, including that he shot 3 of the men, killing 2 of them. He also admits to an ever-increasing number of men he's killed over the years, and doesn't regret any of that.
We hear that Chaney is wanted in Texas for killing a senator there.
La Boeuf states he thought of stealing a kiss from Mattie despite her age and looks.
La Boeuf, unhappy with Mattie for her spunk and following them, yanks her from her horse and proceeds to spank her, first with his hand and then a switch. He only stops when Cogburn pulls and aims his pistol at him.
Cogburn jokingly asks La Boeuf how long he and other Texas rangers have "been mounted on sheep down there."
La Boeuf and Cogburn don't get along, eventually resulting in La Boeuf leaving him and Mattie.
Seeing some kids tormenting a tied up mule or donkey, Cogburn throws one of them off the porch, frees the animal, and then kicks the other kid off the porch. When he leaves, he kicks one of them off the porch again (played for laughs on the part of the film).
Two men don't want to disclose any info on Chaney or Ned, but when one starts to talk, the other attacks and murders him.
A criminal asks Mattie, "Who worked you over with the ugly stick?"
Cogburn admits he robbed banks in the past.
Cogburn litters a whiskey bottle in a creek, and then leaves another empty bottle on a tree branch.
While going to get water from a river, Mattie spots Chaney across the way. He spots her and aims his rifle until he realizes who it is, and he's mystified about why she's out there. She then pulls her father's pistol and aims it at Chaney, but he approaches nonetheless. She then fires a shot that downs both of them (her from the recoil, he from being hit in the torso, shoulder or arm), and tries to shoot him again, but her gun doesn't fire. He then grabs Mattie, slaps her, and carries her back across the river, with Ned's gang firing shots at Cogburn when he races down to the river bank. Ned then holds his boot-covered foot on Mattie's face on the ground while aiming a pistol at her (but lets her up once he hears her story).
Ned leaves Chaney to watch Mattie, thus worrying her that he'll do her harm (but Ned informs Chaney he won't be paid if anything happens to her). Nevertheless, after Ned and his crew depart, Chaney grabs and pins Mattie down and holds a knife to her throat. Just then, however, La Boeuf hits Chaney on the head, knocking him out (and off Mattie).
With an increasingly weakening Mattie (due to being bitten by a rattlesnake), Cogburn races off with her over a great distance, pushing her horse so hard that it eventually collapses. He then takes his pistol and, despite her objections, shoots the horse dead. He then picks her up and starts running with her, determined to get her to a doctor.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed here and under "Violence," "Blood/Gross Stuff" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.
We see three men standing atop the gallows, ready to be hanged. One is freaking out, but the other two are solemn in their reaction. After all 3 give their last statement, the lever is pulled, the floor drops out below them, and they're hanged (we briefly see the dangling bodies).
Mattie sees a hand sticking out from a sheet-covered body. She then later has to sleep in the same room as two bodies, with the undertaker saying she can sleep in a coffin if she likes.
Mattie fords a somewhat deep river on horseback to get over to the other side and join Cogburn and La Boeuf.
Cogburn and Mattie come across a dead body hanging high up from a tree branch, with a large bird on it and pecking away. Cogburn has Mattie go up to see if it's Chaney, and then orders her to cut the body loose. She does and it falls hard to the ground where we see (from a bit of a distance) that it's missing one eye (with a bloody eye socket). While Mattie is still up on the high tree branch, a man approaches on horseback holding a rifle, but nothing bad comes of this as the man rides off with the body over his horse.
Cogburn has Mattie go up on a cabin's roof and cover the chimney to try to smoke out those inside. We see smoke come from under the door, but those inside don't want to come out. When they apparently hear Mattie up on the roof, they fire a shot through that near her, while Cogburn opens fire from ground level. We then see that one was hit in the leg (bloody cloth material is over that), and both he and another are tied up as Cogburn tries to get info out of them. Worrying about his leg wound, the younger man starts to talk, but the second grabs a knife and slices off part of the man's fingers (he holds up his bloody hand) and then stabs him in the chest. Cogburn then shoots that second man in the head, killing him (with bloody results on him, the wall behind him, and some splatter on Cogburn's face). After we see the severed digits on the table, the first man, now even bloodier, talks for a moment and then dies on the floor.
Cogburn and Mattie wait up on a bluff for Lucky Ned and others to show up at a cabin to meet two men who are now dead. But it's La Boeuf who shows up first, followed by Ned and his gang (3 other men). Seen from a distance, they surround La Boeuf and one then lassos and yanks him to the ground. Cogburn then shoots one from up on the bluff and others shoot back, while he shoots a second (the horse goes down with him), and then the third, but Ned gets away. From all of that La Boeuf was dragged around by the lasso and horse, while he was also hit by one of Cogburn's rifle shots during the exchange of gunfire (we see blood, but Cogburn notes the shot went through his shoulder). Cogburn then notes that La Boeuf nearly bit off his tongue (we see blood on La Boeuf's lips), grabs it and tries to pull off the rest (in his mouth, and not seen in detail), but La Boeuf stops him. As they head off, La Boeuf has some blood on his shirt, while we see several dead bodies propped up along the cabin wall and others on the ground.
Not knowing if anyone is inside it, Cogburn fires a shot into a dark tunnel.
While going to get water from a river, Mattie spots Chaney across the way. He spots her and aims his rifle until he realizes who it is, and he's mystified about why she's out there. She then pulls her father's pistol and aims it at Chaney, but he approaches nonetheless. She then fires a shot that downs both of them (her from the recoil, he from being hit in the torso, shoulder or arm), and tries to shoot him again, but her gun doesn't fire. He then grabs Mattie, slaps her, and carries her back across the river, with Ned's gang firing shots at Cogburn when he races down to the river bank. Ned then holds his boot-covered foot on Mattie's face on the ground while aiming a pistol at her (but lets her up once he hears her story).
Ned leaves Chaney to watch Mattie, thus worrying her that he'll do her harm (but Ned informs Chaney he won't be paid if anything happens to her). Nevertheless, after Ned and his crew depart, Chaney grabs and pins Mattie down and holds a knife to her throat. Just then, however, La Boeuf hits Chaney on the head, knocking him out (and off Mattie).
Cogburn confronts Ned and his crew (all on horseback) from a distance. Both sides then charge, with Cogburn shooting one man, followed by back and forth shooting. Cogburn shoots another man who falls from his ride and slams into a rock, but Cogburn is hit, as is Ned. Cogburn goes down with his horse, followed by Ned preparing to shoot him dead, but La Boeuf shoots Ned dead from a very long distance rifle shot.
Chaney hits La Boeuf over the head, knocking him out, but Mattie then shoots him off a cliff with a rifle shot (we don't see the impact below). The recoil from the shot, however, sends her falling backwards and she ends up tumbling down inside a cave where her leg gets tangled in vines and she finds herself stuck. There, she finds a long-dead corpse and tries to pull it toward her for the knife she spots on the body. But she doesn't see the rattlesnakes coiled in the dead man's belly and they slither out toward her (she's still stuck). One goes over her shoulder and she grabs and throws that one aside, but another crawls onto her hand and bites her there, with Cogburn then showing up and shooting that snake and the rest dead.
With an increasingly weakening Mattie (due to being bitten by a rattlesnake), Cogburn races off with her over a great distance, pushing her horse so hard that it eventually collapses. He then takes his pistol and, despite her objections, shoots the horse dead. He then picks her up and starts running with her, determined to get her to a doctor.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Handguns/Rifles/Knives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.
A sheriff wears a pistol.
Mattie is shown and given her father's belongings found on him at the time of his murder, including his pistol (that she later carries with her and uses to shoot Chaney).
La Boeuf wears a bullet belt across his torso.
La Boeuf, unhappy with Mattie for her spunk and following them, yanks her from her horse and proceeds to spank her, first with his hand and then a switch. He only stops when Cogburn pulls and aims his pistol at him.
A man rides up toward Cogburn while holding a rifle.
We hear a gunshot in the distance, but Cogburn says it's a signal from another man he previously met. Cogburn then fires one back to indicate he received the signal.
While intoxicated, Cogburn tries target shooting various items (including throwing things in the air and shooting them), with La Boeuf shooting some of them instead.
Not knowing if anyone is inside it, Cogburn fires a shot into a dark tunnel.
Cogburn fires a gunshot into the air to get the attention of a nearby resident that he and Mattie need help.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "The hell with you," "They say you're a man of true grit," "A half-wit," "That's a G*ddamn lie," "You've graduated from marauder to wet nurse," "Bastard," "Damn shame," "Who worked you over with the ugly stick?" "Oh G*ddamn," "A harpy in trousers and a nincompoop" and "You son of a bitch."
Some of the action might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate.
As a man leads Mattie away on her horse from Cogburn and La Boeuf, she throws an apple that hits the man and allows her to break free. She then fords a deep river on horseback.
Seeing some kids tormenting a tied up mule or donkey, Cogburn throws one of them off the porch, frees the animal, and then kicks the other kid off the porch. When he leaves, he kicks one of them off the porch again (played for laughs on the part of the film).
Cogburn has Mattie go up on a cabin's roof and cover the chimney to try to smoke out those inside.
While intoxicated, Cogburn tries target shooting various items (including throwing things in the air and shooting them), with La Boeuf shooting some of them instead.
Cogburn litters a whiskey bottle in a creek, and then leaves another empty bottle on a tree branch.
After a rattlesnake has bitten Mattie on the hand, we see two small bloody puncture marks on her hand. Cogburn then uses his knife to crisscross cut those marks, drawing more blood, while he sucks out and then spits out some of the poison.
Cogburn fires a gunshot into the air to get the attention of a nearby resident that he and Mattie need help.

JUMP SCENES: As Mattie is up on a roof, a gunshot blast suddenly rips through the roof near her.
A man suddenly attacks his cohort, slicing off his fingers and then stabbing him in the chest.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A heavy amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 3 S.O.B.s, 2 damns, 1 hell, 5 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "My God" and "Oh Lord."

SEX/NUDITY: La Boeuf sarcastically states he thought of stealing a kiss from Mattie despite her age and looks.
Cogburn jokingly asks La Boeuf how long he and other Texas rangers have "been mounted on sheep down there."

SMOKING: Cogburn smokes a few times (and has an unlit cigarette in his mouth several other times), as does La Boeuf (pipe), while a number of miscellaneous characters smoke in several scenes (cigarettes, a cigar and a pipe).
Mattie takes a cigarette Cogburn is trying to roll, does that for him, and he puts the unlit cigarette into his mouth.
Mattie again rolls a cigarette for Cogburn.
Cogburn jokes he'd give someone a Daniel Webster cigar regarding an unrelated circumstance.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Mattie states (via voice-over narration) that Chaney murdered her father, and we see a separate view of the dead man lying on the ground.
Mattie has to identify her father's body in a casket.
No one seems interested in going after Chaney for murdering Mattie's father, with the local sheriff saying Chaney is now on the U.S. marshals' list. That lack of response or concern causes her additional stress.
Mattie is shown and given her father's belongings found on him at the time of his murder, including his pistol.
Cogburn chats with Mattie, including about his first wife leaving him to return to her first husband, and that she took their son too.
Cogburn talks of his second wife.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The comment that you must pay for everything in this world, and that nothing is free but the grace of God.
Revenge vs. justice.
The role of marshals and rangers in the 1870s.
Mattie is very poised and mature for her age (14) and the era in which she lives (1870s).
Capital punishment (we see several men hanged).
Cogburn testifies in court about a case involving him and his violent ways, including that he shot 3 of the men, killing 2 of them. He also admits to an ever-increasing number of men he's killed over the years, and doesn't regret any of that.
We see (and hear) that Mattie lost her arm to a rattlesnake bite 25 years earlier.

VIOLENCE: Mattie states (via voice-over narration) that Chaney murdered her father, and we see a separate view of the dead man lying on the ground.
We see three men standing atop the gallows, ready to be hanged. One is freaking out, but the other two are solemn in their reaction. After all 3 give their last statement, the lever is pulled, the floor drops out below them, and they're hanged (we briefly see the dangling bodies).
A man states that Chaney knocked out his watchman's teeth.
Cogburn testifies in court about a case involving him and his violent ways, including that he shot 3 of the men, killing 2 of them. He also admits to an ever-increasing number of men he's killed over the years.
We hear that Chaney is wanted in Texas for killing a senator there.
As a man leads Mattie away on her horse from Cogburn and La Boeuf, she throws an apple that hits the man and allows her to break free.
La Boeuf, unhappy with Mattie for her spunk and following them, yanks her from her horse and proceeds to spank her, first with his hand and then a switch. He only stops when Cogburn pulls and aims his pistol at him.
Seeing some kids tormenting a tied up mule or donkey, Cogburn throws one of them off the porch, frees the animal, and then kicks the other kid off the porch. When he leaves, he kicks one of them off the porch again (played for laughs on the part of the film).
Cogburn has Mattie go up on a cabin's roof and cover the chimney to try to smoke out those inside. We see smoke come from under the door, but those inside don't want to come out. When they apparently hear Mattie up on the roof, they fire a shot through that near her, while Cogburn opens fire from ground level. We then see that one was hit in the leg (bloody cloth material is over that), and both he and another are tied up as Cogburn tries to get info out of them. Worrying about his leg wound, the younger man starts to talk, but the second grabs a knife and slices off part of the man's fingers (he holds up his bloody hand) and then stabs him in the chest. Cogburn then shoots that second man in the head, killing him (with bloody results on him, the wall behind him, and some splatter on Cogburn's face). After we see the severed digits on the table, the first man, now even bloodier, talks for a moment and then dies on the floor.
Cogburn and Mattie wait up on a bluff for Lucky Ned and others to show up at a cabin to meet two men who are now dead. But it's La Boeuf who shows up first, followed by Ned and his gang (3 other men). Seen from a distance, they surround La Boeuf and one then lassos and yanks him to the ground. Cogburn then shoots one from up on the bluff and others shoot back, while he shoots a second (the horse goes down with him), and then the third, but Ned gets away. From all of that La Boeuf was dragged around by the lasso and horse, while he was also hit by one of Cogburn's rifle shots during the exchange of gunfire (we see blood, but Cogburn notes the shot went through his shoulder). Cogburn then notes that La Boeuf nearly bit off his tongue (we see blood on La Boeuf's lips), grabs it and tries to pull off the rest (in his mouth, and not seen in detail), but La Boeuf stops him. As they head off, La Boeuf has some blood on his shirt, while we see several dead bodies propped up along the cabin wall and others on the ground.
While intoxicated, Cogburn tries target shooting various items (including throwing things in the air and shooting them), with La Boeuf shooting some of them instead.
While going to get water from a river, Mattie spots Chaney across the way. He spots her and aims his rifle until he realizes who it is, and he's mystified about why she's out there. She then pulls her father's pistol and aims it at Chaney, but he approaches nonetheless. She then fires a shot that downs both of them (her from the recoil, he from being hit in the torso, shoulder or arm), and tries to shoot him again, but her gun doesn't fire. He then grabs Mattie, slaps her, and carries her back across the river, with Ned's gang firing shots at Cogburn when he races down to the river bank. Ned then holds his boot-covered foot on Mattie's face on the ground while aiming a pistol at her (but lets her up once he hears her story).
Ned leaves Chaney to watch Mattie, thus worrying her that he'll do her harm (but Ned informs Chaney he won't be paid if anything happens to her). Nevertheless, after Ned and his crew depart, Chaney grabs and pins Mattie down and holds a knife to her throat. Just then, however, La Boeuf hits Chaney on the head, knocking him out (and off Mattie).
Cogburn confronts Ned and his crew (all on horseback) from a distance. Both sides then charge, with Cogburn shooting one man, followed by back and forth shooting. Cogburn shoots another man who falls from his ride and slams into a rock, but Cogburn is hit, as is Ned. Cogburn goes down with his horse, followed by Ned preparing to shoot him dead, but La Boeuf shoots Ned dead from a very long distance rifle shot.
Chaney hits La Boeuf over the head, knocking him out, but Mattie then shoots him off a cliff with a rifle shot (we don't see the impact below). The recoil from the shot, however, sends her falling backwards and she ends up tumbling down inside a cave where her leg gets tangled in vines and she finds herself stuck. There, she finds a long-dead corpse and tries to pull it toward her for the knife she spots on the body. But she doesn't see the rattlesnakes coiled in the dead man's belly and they slither out toward her (she's still stuck). One goes over her shoulder and she grabs and throws that one aside, but another crawls onto her hand and bites her there, with Cogburn then showing up and shooting that snake and the rest dead.
With an increasingly weakening Mattie (due to being bitten by a rattlesnake), Cogburn races off with her over a great distance, pushing her horse so hard that it eventually collapses. He then takes his pistol and, despite her objections, shoots the horse dead. He then picks her up and starts running with her, determined to get her to a doctor.

Reviewed December 2, 2010 / Posted December 22, 2010

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