Movie Mania

Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, Fargo) have extended their filmmaking prowess into new territory by adapting Charles Portis’ famous novel, True Grit, and their interpretation is a refreshing take on the western genre and compares favorably to the memorable John Wayne starring version of 1969. Purists who thought it would be sacrilege to remake a western classic have little to fear. Thanks to a smart script and strong acting, True Grit comes off as a very solid film with some similarities and noticeable differences from the original film.

Told in flashback by a woman’s voice, a 14 year old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) wants to avenge the murder of her father at the hands of Tom Chaney (a grizzled Josh Brolin), and she arrives in a small town to hire Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an aged, hard drinking veteran lawman who has done his share of killing and more. Mattie is not one to be trifled with and as another pursuer, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), realizes, not one to intimidate. Headstrong, she has grit herself. Together the trio search for Chaney and seek out a lead in another outlaw, Ned Pepper (an unrecognizable Barry Pepper). As friction mounts among the searchers, LeBoeuf strikes out on his own, and Cogburn and Mattie come upon a cabin. There, a couple of outlaws are smoked out, and this leads to Ned Pepper and his gang. Can Chaney be far behind? It all culminates in a final confrontation between Cogburn and Ned Pepper as Mattie comes face to face with her quarry and LeBoeuf reenters the scene with violent results.

Bridges (Crazy Hearts) is utterly convincing in making this version of Rooster Cogburn his own persona. He portrays him as a proud, grumpy curmudgeon who just may be a crack shot and smarter than he lets on. This takes nothing away from the over the top performance of John Wayne who won an Oscar for his rendition. You could almost see Tommy Lee Jones in this role. We gets bits and pieces of Cogburn’s past, and some of the tales make you wonder if they are utter fabrications or sheer exaggeration. Steinfeld is a marvel in her first movie role. She embodies Mattie as a take charge gal who will not be deterred and has enough smarts and spunk to strike a hard bargain with any man. Witness her amusing negotiations with a horse trader and wearing him down. Damon (Good Will Hunting) does well in a supporting role and adds more nuance than Glen Campbell’s version of LaBoeuf did in the older version. Brolin and Pepper have what amount to small but memorable screen time as the bad guys.

The dynamics of the trio are interestingly portrayed as LeBoeuf and Cogburn face off and trade barbs, while Mattie asserts herself every chance she gets. You even think there might be a hint of attraction between Mattie and LeBoeuf. The arc of LeBoeuf’s character deviates from the 1969 film significantly especially at the climax. The only negative is that his fate is left open ended and unresolved.

Much of the film is superior to the older version. There is really only one scene that would suffer in comparison to the original film, and that is the climactic charge by Cogburn against the bad guys. Bridges does well but he is not John Wayne. The scene lacks the heroic, mythic feel of Wayne. Also, when Bridges is shown in closeup carrying Mattie to safety, it seems a bit phony. But those are minor observations. A final sequence shows what happens many years afterward and serves as a melancholy postscript, and it has a final feel of a film like Unforgiven. The film could easily work without it though.

Thanks to the Coens, the authentic sounding dialogue, which is laced with humorous moments including a shooting contest between Cogburn and LeBoeuf, is peppy and sharp, a marked improvement from standard western fare. There are times when Bridges’ drawling and inflections are hard to understand but you get the gist anyway through context and body language. Technical crafts are standout especially a good musical score by Carter Burwell and beautiful cinematography by veteran Roger Deakins (A Beautiful Mind).
The Coen brothers must have been drawn to the quirky characters and the language of the novel, and while this is certainly not their best film, it is a very entertaining western with some standout performances.

*** or **** stars