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Revenge

 is  Sweeter  than  Sex:    


A  Review  of  the  Coen  Brothers’  2010  Movie,  True  Grit  
 
By  Jane  Gilgun  

 
 
Summary  
 
True  Grit  is  about  the  satisfactions  of  revenge.    Revenge  is  sweeter  than  sex.    This  
review  analyzes  the  violence  of  the  movie.  The  main  characters,  Rooster  Cockburn  and  14  
year-­old  Mattie  Ross,  have  it  both  ways,  with  a  twist.  Mattie  is  hurt  and  outraged  by  her  
father’s  murder.  Rooster  is  an  avenging,  imperfect  angel.  They  have  their  revenge,  all  right,  
but  both  pay  a  huge  price.  The  only  character  in  the  movie  who  has  true  true  grit  is  Mattie’s  
horse,  Blackie,  who  in  the  end,  sacrifices  himself  to  save  Mattie.    
 
About  the  Author  
 
Jane  F.  Gilgun,  Ph.D.,  LICSW,  is  a  University  professor  and  researcher  who  has  
interviewed  violent  men  for  more  than  25  years.  She  plans  to  spend  much  of  the  next  25  
years  talking  about  violence  and  its  savage  contradictions.  Professor  Gilgun  has  many  
publications  on  violence  available  on  scribd.com,  Amazon  Kindle,  iBooks,  and  other  on-­‐line  
booksellers.  She  also  writes  children’s  stories,  articles,  and  books  on  a  variety  of  other  
topics,  such  as  resilience,  child  development,  and  qualitative  research.    
Revenge  is  Sweeter  than  Sex:    
A  Review  of  the  Coen  Brothers’  Movie,  True  Grit  
 
 

W  
deserve  it.  
e  want  it  both  ways.  We  love  violence.  The  thrills  and  chills  of  righting  a  wrong  
and  of  seeing  justice  reign  are  gratifying.  Snuff  the  bad  guys  out.  Tear  them  limb  
from  limb.  Throw  them  to  the  lions  and  jackals.  It’s  only  right.  Some  people  

 
We  hate  violence.    We  hurt  when  we  are  targets  of  violence,  when  people  we  care  
about  are  targets,  and  when  our  enemies  use  violence  in  political  causes.  Kill  those  who  use  
violence  against  us.  It’s  only  right.  Some  people  deserve  it.  
 
Individuals  and  the  societies  they  create  believe  so  deeply  in  violence  that  violence  
will  never  change.  
 
A  case  in  point  is  True  Grit,  the  Coen  brothers’  movie  where  the  main  characters  
have  it  both  ways,  with  a  final  twist.  True  Grit  is  a  2010  remake  of  an  old  movie,  remade,  I  
suppose  because  of  its  timeless  message.  The  message  is  revenge.  The  twist  to  the  movie  is  
the  punishment  that  visits  itself  upon  the  avengers.  .    
 
Plot  Summary  
 
After  a  hard  chase  through  rough  Western  country  in  the  winter,  Mattie  Ross  finally  
finds  and  shoots  her  father’s  murderer.  The  murder  is  particularly  heinous  because  the  
father  was  trying  to  help  the  murderer.  Mattie’s  shot  to  the  chest  is  so  powerful  that  the  
man  is  propelled  off  a  cliff.  His  name  is  Cheney.  Not  only  does  a  14  year-­‐old  girl  kill  the  
murderer  of  the  good  father,  but  he  falls  to  the  earth  in  a  heap  of  broken  bones.  How  
satisfying.    
 
In  the  meantime,  her  sidekick,  Rooster  Cockburn  kills  the  other  murderers  who  
were  Cheney’s  companion.  More  satisfaction.  The  world  is  in  balance  once  again.  
 
But  wait,  there’s  more.  The  kick  of  the  carbine  that  Mattie  uses  to  kill  Cheney  is  so  
powerful  that  Mattie  is  propelled  backwards,  right  into  a  pit  full  of  rattlesnakes.  A  snake  
bites  her  left  hand.  Rooster  comes  to  the  rescue,  shoots  the  snakes,  and  carries  Mattie  to  
safety.  Mattie  loses  her  left  arm  up  to  her  elbow  because  of  the  rattler  bite.  We  see  her  25  
years  later,  dressed  in  black,  a  spinster,  with  a  left  arm  that  ends  at  her  elbow.  Mattie  is  
searching  for  Rooster  after  all  of  that  time.      
 
Oh,  no,  Rooster  died  a  few  days  before.  Denied  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  savior,  
the  middle-­‐aged  Mattie  has  his  body  exhumed  and  brought  to  her  family’s  plot.  The  last  
scene  is  of  Mattie  standing  at  Rooster’s  grave  stone,  then  walking  off  against  the  huge  
Western  sky,  her  missing  limb  there  for  all  to  see.  
 
An  Analysis  
 
The  movie  gives  violence  to  us  both  ways.  We  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  bad  
guys  snuffed  out  in  exciting  scenes.  Rooster  gallops  toward  four  bad  guys  with  guns  
ablazing,  for  example.  Now  that  is  true  grit.  Mattie  pushes  her  beautiful  black  horse  to  swim  
across  a  wild  and  deep  river  to  join  up  with  Rooster  on  the  hunt  for  Cheney.  The  grit  here  is  
the  horse’s.    
 
The  black  horse  is  the  only  character  in  the  movie  with  a  pure  heart.  The  horse  hurts  
no  one  and  helps  Mattie  reach  her  goals.  He  dies  carrying  her  and  Rooster  back  to  
civilization  for  medical  care.  The  horse  has  real  true  grit.    The  death  of  the  horse  hurts.  It’s  
also  contrived  and  manipulative.  With  true  grit,  Rooster  shoots  the  horse  in  the  head  as  the  
horse  lies  on  the  ground  panting  for  his  last  breath  after  hours  of  carrying  Mattie  and  
Rooster  across  the  frozen  terrain  toward  medical  help.  
 
This  movie  shows  we  want  it  both  ways.  We  get  it,  too.  Mattie  had  her  revenge.  
Rooster  kills  bad  guys.  Sadly,  they  pay  a  price.  Mattie  loses  her  arm.  Rooster  dies  before  he  
can  see  Mattie.  Mattie  doesn’t  get  to  see  Rooster  one  last  time.    The  death  of  the  horses  
shows  that  even  virtue  goes  unrewarded.  
 
The  Moral  of  the  Tale  
 
The  moral  of  the  tale  gets  to  the  heart  of  things.  Revenge  is  sweet,  but  you  still  pay.  
Mattie  and  Rooster  are  the  good  guys.  They  had  the  satisfaction  of  revenge.  They  murdered  
people  who  murdered  people.  Moviegoers  share  the  sweet  and  deep  satisfaction  of  
revenge.  They  felt  sad  because  Mattie  lost  her  left  arm  and  Mattie  and  Rooster  never  got  to  
see  each  other  again  after  they  satisfied  vengeful  quest.  Revenge  and  retribution  are  
sweeter  than  sex.  .  
 
The  Coen  brothers  may  believe  they  have  a  vision  that  is  moral.  After  all,  Mattie  and  
Rooster  paid  a  price  for  their  violence.  This  moral  vision  may  be  a  step  closer  to  a  
rethinking  of  vengeance.  Yes,  the  Coens  want  it  both  ways.  They  exploit  violence  to  attract  
attention  to  their  movies.  They  also  show  the  price  of  violence.  In  the  end,  revenge  through  
violence  reigns  supreme,  even  when  it  exacts  a  price.  Revenge  is  a  pearl  of  great  price.  
 
References  
 
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Reflections on more than 20 years of research on violence.
Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 16(4), 50-59.

Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Methods for enhancing theory and knowledge about problems,
policies, and practice. In Katherine Briar, Joan Orme, Roy Ruckdeschel, & Ian Shaw, The Sage
handbook of social work research (pp. 281-297). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Child Sexual Abuse: From Harsh Realities to Hope (2nd ed.).
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16484981/Child-Sexual-Abuse-From-Harsh-Realities-to-Hope

Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Children with Serious Conduct Issues.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/28821898/Children-with-Serious-Conduct-Issues

Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Reflections on more than 20 years of research on violence.


Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 16(4), 50-59.

Gilgun, Jane F. (2008). Lived experience, reflexivity, and research on perpetrators of


interpersonal violence. Qualitative Social Work, 7(2), 181-197.

 
 
 

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