True Grit

In 1878, 14-year-old Mattie Ross travels to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to collect her father's corpse after he is murdered. She learns that Tom Chaney has likely fled with Ned Pepper and his gang into Indian Territory, where local sheriffs have no authority. This revelation sets Mattie's quest for justice in motion.

The sheriff presents three deputy candidates, and Mattie chooses Rooster Cogburn, the 'meanest' of the bunch. Cogburn initially rebuffs her, doubting both her grit and her wealth. She proves her determination by raising money through aggressive horse trading and buys his services.

To seal the deal, Mattie engages in a high-stakes horse trade to raise the money Cogburn demands. Her streetwise negotiation undercuts his skepticism and earns him a reluctant partnership. The arrangement marks the start of their uneasy alliance.

Texas Ranger LaBoeuf arrives pursuing Chaney for the murder of a state senator and offers to join Cogburn's mission. Mattie declines his offer, preferring that Chaney be hanged in Arkansas. The power dynamic among the three intensifies as plans form and fracture.

Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn to witness justice in person, but Cogburn departs with LaBoeuf to pursue Chaney and split the reward. The separation ignites tension and foreshadows future conflicts of purpose. This decision underscores the film's theme of personal justice versus pragmatism.

Cogburn and Mattie confront outlaws Quincy and Moon at a rural dugout. Cogburn shoots Moon, while Quincy stabs Moon, and Cogburn ends up killing Quincy. A dying Moon reveals that Ned Pepper's gang will arrive that night for supplies.

Cogburn and Mattie plan an ambush, but LaBoeuf arrives first and is confronted by Pepper's gang. Cogburn shoots two gang members and accidentally wounds LaBoeuf, while Pepper escapes. LaBoeuf re-joins the pursuit despite his injuries.

Days of searching yield no trace of Chaney or Pepper, and Cogburn begins to drink heavily. The trio's dynamic worsens until LaBoeuf decides to return to Texas. Mattie expresses regret at hiring the wrong man, and she and LaBoeuf eventually reconcile their views.

While retrieving water from a stream, Mattie encounters Chaney and shoots him, but the revolver misfires and Chaney takes her hostage. Pepper's gang pressures Chaney to escape while Cogburn and the others hurry to respond.

LaBoeuf arrives and knocks Chaney unconscious, revealing that Cogburn and he have reunited to rescue Mattie. He is to rescue her while Cogburn intercepts Pepper's gang in a four-to-one standoff. The ensemble prepares for a decisive confrontation.

In a ferocious four-to-one clash, Cogburn kills two Pepper gang members while Pepper mortally wounds him. LaBoeuf shoots Pepper from 400 yards, and Chaney is knocked out by LaBoeuf before Mattie shoots Chaney dead. A rattlesnake bite to Mattie adds a grim twist as Cogburn fights to keep them alive.

Cogburn rescues Mattie and fights off snakes, carrying her on foot when their horse collapses. He stays with her until she is safe, but disappears before she awakens, and her arm is eventually amputated. The act seals their bond and marks a legacy of sacrifice.

Twenty-five years later, Mattie receives a letter inviting her to a traveling Wild West show where Cogburn performs. When she arrives, she learns from Cole Younger and Frank James that Cogburn died three days earlier. The revelation prompts Mattie to reflect on memory, gratitude, and the cost of justice.

Mattie, who never married, has Cogburn's body moved to her family cemetery in Yell County, Arkansas. She considers visiting LaBoeuf, wondering if he remains the same man, and she remains haunted by their shared pursuit. The story closes on memory and unresolved questions.