TRUE GRIT (2010)Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon
In this adaptation of Charles Portis' western novel, 14-year old Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) seeks justice for the murder of her father, and hires the right man for the job; US Marshal Rooster Cogburn, the orneriest, most deadly (and most drunken) lawman in the region. Together, they head off into Indian territory in search of the murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and are joined on their quest by Texas Ranger La Boeuf (Damon), who's been tracking Chaney for some time. The two men and young girl have their quarrels, but will have to learn to work together if they hope to survive in hostile territory against the notorious Ned Pepper's gang, who are riding with their quarry.
Having effectively shielded myself from all advertisements, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd seen the original John Wayne film, but despite his Oscar win for Best Actor, I don't think of that as one of the Duke's best, so I have little emotional attachment to it. I'd also heard that the Coens were going back to the source material, which the 1969 film had strayed from, and that this would be a wholly different animal.
I guess I'll have to give the John Wayne version a rewatch, because as far as I can remember this is pretty damn close. A bit "grittier" perhaps (heh), but the structure and iconic scenes are essentially the same as I remember them. And the overall tone is not so odd as to classify this as "revisionist", or anything. I don't mean this as an insult in any way, but this is the least "Coen-ey" Coen Bros film in a while. It's mainstream entertainment, despite the better efforts of Jeff Bridges mush-mouthed performance, and the cameo appearances by humans confusing themselves with animals. Mainstream in the most bold, robust fashion; this works equally well as a children's adventure story, and as a hard-hitting classic western.
As we've come to expect from the Coens, it's top notch from a technical level. Roger Deakins was born to shoot westerns, apparently, and Carter Burwell rejiggers some 19th century hymns to beautiful effect. The Dude effectively takes the reigns from The Duke, playing against type as the hard to love, hard-edged, and world-weary Cogburn. It's too bad that Bridges won a Best Actor Oscar last year, since I would love the symmetry of two actors winning for playing this character (in addition to not being for a Maggie Gyllenhaal movie that I'll never watch). I like Damon best when he's playing characters that I'm supposed to hate, and La Boeuf effectively straddles that line for me. I wasn't sold on Steinfeld at first, until I realized that her clipped, short nature is the very essence of her character. This is a girl who's growing up in a harsh world, now without the assistance of her father, and she's approximating grown up behavior as best she can. She's smaller, younger, and more female than her enemies, which means that she's going to have to always stay one step ahead. Hailee plays it perfectly.
It's rare for me to recommend a Coen film to general audiences, but I think this one is a genuine crowd pleaser, and would be especially appropriate for teenaged girls. Let's give them a role model who's not as much of a doormat as Bella Swan, shall we?
In the Coen's resume, I'd place this one somewhere comfortably in the middle. It lacks a lot of their trademark quirks, but it's a fun, old-school western, and a hell of a ride.
FREDERICK OPINES: GREAT
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