Rated PG-13 (Some Intense Sequences of
Western Violence including Disturbing Images)
Running Time: 1 Hour & 50 Minutes
Cast:
Jeff Bridges-U.S. Deputy Marshal Reuben J.
‘Rooster’ Cogburn
Hailee Steinfeld-Mattie Ross
Matt Damon-Texas Ranger LaBoeuf
Josh Brolin-Tom Chaney
Barry Pepper-‘Lucky’ Ned Pepper
Domhnall Gleeson-Moon (The Kid)
Ed Lee Corbin-Bear Man (Dr. Forrester)
Roy Lee Jones-Yarnell Poindexter
Paul Rae-Emmett Quincy
Bruce Green-Harold Parmalee
Dakin Matthews-Colonel Stonehill
Don Pirl-Cole Younger
Joe Stevens-Lawyer Goudy
Elizabeth Marvel-40-Year-Old Mattie Ross
J.K. Simmons (voice)-Lawyer J. Noble
Daggett
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
 |
| You don't mess with Jeff Bridges when he has a gun pointed at you. |
Joel and Ethan Coen’s directorial career
has spanned an impressive twenty-seven years since the release of their first film,
“Blood Simple,” in 1984 and since then, their films have consistently received
praise from critics, if not always box office success. The only sore spots in
an otherwise impeccable career would be 1994’s “The Hudsucker Proxy” and 2004’s
“The Ladykillers,” a remake of the 1955 British original. Many of their films
contain elements of black comedy to various degrees and have limited appeal but
with their latest, “True Grit,” based upon Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the
same name, the Coen Brothers have made their most mainstream film yet,
revitalizing the dying Western with aplomb. Portis’ novel was previously
adapted as a film in 1969 with John ‘The Duke’ Wayne in the role of
tough-as-nails U.S. Marshall Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn. For his portrayal,
Wayne received his first and only Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970 but it
was less about his performance in the film and more about recognizing his
lifetime achievements in American cinema. Said to be more faithful to Portis’
novel, “True Grit” is one of the best films of 2010 thanks to the Coen
Brothers’ confident direction with its simple, effective tale of retribution,
memorable performances (especially from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld), and
sumptuous cinematography. Like Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of “Insomnia,”
“True Grit” serves as reminder that a remake can exceed the original when a
director has a clear vision in bringing something unique to the table rather than outright copying.
Taking place toward the end of the nineteenth century,
fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) travels from Yell County to
Fort Smith, Arkansas to collect her father’s body and whatever possessions he
had on him upon his death, having been murdered by a hired farmhand named Tom
Chaney (Josh Brolin) after a drunken confrontation. Stealing his horses and two
rare California gold pieces, Chaney flees to the lawless Indian Territory (now
Oklahoma) and joins up with a gang led by ‘Lucky’ Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper).
Mattie inquires with the local sheriff about hiring a U.S. Deputy Marshall to
track down Chaney. She learns of Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a
quick-triggered, ruthless lawman, and is described as having ‘true grit,’ which
is just what Mattie needs. However, when presented with her offer, Cogburn
shows little interest in taking the job. At the boarding house where she has
taken up temporary residence, Mattie meets an over-confident but inept Texas
Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also tracking down Chaney and intends
to have him hanged in Waco, Texas for shooting a senator. LaBoeuf proposes to
work with Cogburn in their hunt for Chaney but Mattie takes an immediate
disliking to him and refuses his offer. Mattie later finds Cogburn sleeping in
the back of a Chinese grocery store and convinces him to take the job by
offering an advance fee of $50, with an additional $50 upon completion of the
job. Intending to accompany him on the journey, Mattie discovers the next morning
that Cogburn has struck a deal with LaBoeuf and has left without her. Not
backing down, Mattie has her horse swim across the river and threatens to
charge Cogburn with fraud for stealing her money if she isn’t allowed to come.
To the chagrin of LaBoeuf, Cogburn reluctantly agrees to let her come along and together they set out
to capture Chaney, dead or alive.
“True Grit,” while lacking the thematic
richness of the Coen Brothers’ previous work, presents a simple,
straightforward tale of revenge and retribution set in the backdrop of the
American Old West. The film does not fall into the usual Western clichés of
saloon bar-fights and fast-drawing cowboys, preferring to be deliberately
slow-paced with its eye on the interactions of its three main characters. In
fact, the story only picks up speed in the last thirty minutes before the end
credits roll and is more concerned with the journey rather than its
destination. Cogburn and Mattie form an unexpected bond during their hunt for
Chaney, one that is born out of mutual respect and admiration for each other’s
strengths rather than being a run-of-the-mill surrogate father-daughter
relationship. There also seems to be an underlying attraction between Mattie
and LaBoeuf (pronounced ‘La-Beef’), which might put off some people due to the
wide age difference but such relationships weren’t exactly unusual during the nineteenth century. This is subtly reinforced when Mattie first sees LaBoeuf sitting
on the porch of the boarding house in a badass sort of way, as if trying to
impress her. In fact, even though they started off on the wrong foot, Mattie
eventually views LaBoeuf as a knight-in-shining-armor of the Wild West and
there’s this scene where they finally acknowledge each other and exchange this
‘look,’ which in itself says a thousand words! Cogburn and LaBoeuf, being
fellow lawmen, do what all men do—by sizing each other up and outdoing one
another. One humorous scene has both of them taking potshots at thrown
cornbread and at one point LaBoeuf even remarks, ‘Make me out foolish in this girl's
eyes!’
Despite its dour subject manner, "True Grit" manages to be quite funny and
it’s got the Coen Brothers’ signature all over it. The dialogue can feel overly
verbose but is also witty and sarcastic, perfectly capturing the speech
mannerisms of the time period it depicts. It’s not just the way the people talk
but everything as the directors and cinematographer Roger Deakins have gone to
great lengths to recreate an era of lawlessness. The small town of Fort Smith
has a lived in, worn feel and the desolate areas that Cogburn and Mattie travel
through invoke the untamed and dangerousness of the American West. There’s only
one niggle and it takes place during a montage where Cogburn rushes Mattie on
horseback to a doctor during the film’s final minutes but the phony
green-screen background used is painfully obvious, which is puzzling given how
stunning everything else looks. There’s not much in the way of action, at least
not the kind of action mainstream audiences are used to but there are two
scenes that stand out. One is where Cogburn and Mattie hide at night in a ridge
overlooking a house to ambush Lucky Ned’s gang and the other finds Cogburn
outnumbered four-to-one but he refuses to back down and charges forward, dual
pistols a-blazing! It gives Jeff Bridges a larger-than-life presence in the film.
The acting is of the highest caliber and for her first starring role, Hailee
Steinfeld is captivating. Her Mattie is fiercely independent and is a
quick-thinker but also vulnerable as fourteen-year-old girls can be. Steinfeld has a
memorable scene when she negotiates (more like haggle) money for her father’s
horses and her dialogue delivery is pitch-perfect, as if she’s been speaking
this way her whole life. I dare say she even manages to overshadow both Bridges
and Damon! Jeff Brides has the most challenging role as he’s stepping into the
shoes of John Wayne but he never lets that get to him and makes Cogburn a good
man at heart that’s not above killing to get the answers he wants. As he is
drunk half the time, it’s funny watching him slur and clumsily trying to find
his way around although sometimes it makes it hard to understand what Bridges
is saying. The unkempt nature of Cogburn’s character lends it authenticity to
the setting. Matt Damon is excellent as well but oftentimes he is overshadowed
by the loud personalities of Steinfeld and Bridges. Josh Brolin manages to
capture the desperation that drives men to do bad deeds in his short
screen-time and Barry Pepper also appears in a minor role as ‘Lucky’ Ned
Pepper.
“True Grit” marks its new arrival on Blu-Ray with flawless picture and
audio quality. The film boasts stunning clarity and highly detailed textures
from the stitching of the leather jackets to its picturesque environments.
Audio is focused more on dialogue and ambiance, such as the subtle crackling of
a campfire or the low clicking of a pistol as it gets cocked. Things get real
loud once the guns start going off and the sound effects give an immersive,
you-are-there feel. Special features, however, are workmanlike with very brief
looks at the cast, costuming, weapons, and set design of the film. The only
feature of worth is a look-back on the life of Charles Portis and contrasts
this film with the 1969 original.
Released on December 22, 2010, “True Grit”
received overwhelmingly positive reviews with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it
one of the best-reviewed films of the year. Critics praised the performances of
its three leads and found it to be a ‘worthy companion to the Charles Portis
book’ with some even admitting that it was superior to the 1969 original. The
film went on to become a box office success and is both the highest grossing
Coen Brothers’ film with $249 million worldwide and second highest grossing
Western, behind 1990’s “Dances with Wolves” directed by and starring Kevin
Costner. It received nominations in ten categories at the 2011 Academy Awards
including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Bridges), and Best Actress
(Steinfeld) but failed to garner any wins. Despite being the Coen Brothers’
most mainstream effort and lacking the thematic and quirky sensibilities of
their previous work, it doesn’t diminish the quality of “True Grit” and
represents not just the best of what Westerns have to offer, but also of cinema
as it is a testament to the importance of story and character.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
“You go for a man hard enough and fast
enough, he don't have time to think about how many's with him; he thinks about
himself, and how he might get clear of that wrath that's about to set down on
him.”
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