This Is True Grit

2:22 is a movie you'd love to hate. The cast and promotion misled you to thinking that big stars like Gabriel Byrne and Val Kilmer are in the lead cast - not true. In fact, the whole movie features a cast that is not particularly well known, but they are all good! Byrne and Kilmer are just supporting actors, each appearing for probably less than 10 minutes in the whole film.

But I didn't end up disliking the movie - I actually quite liked it! This is true grit in its literal form - dark, depressing, no faith in human beings, friendship and loyalty. Leading man Mick Rossi won the Best Actor Award in the 2010 Milan International Film Festival. He's a complicated man - kind, ruthless, calculating and spontaneous all encompassed within his character. Producer Lenny Pitondo is from Toronto, but I also get an impression that this film was shot in Toronto, although I'm not 100 percent sure.

What on earth happened to Val Kilmer? The dashing young pilot, outshining Tom Cruise in Top Gun, has turned into a sloppy, overweight, very unattractive middle-aged man. It obviously doesn't help that he kept taking on 'loser' roles in recent movies.

This movie intrigues me because it took me by surprise. I recognize the Toronto scenes but the film is very European in style and ambiance. It's like watching a European mafia movie - violent, dark but artistic. And that's Mick Rossi too - apparently he's a very accomplished guitar player prior to his acting career.