True Grit

(2010)

Directed by

Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Review by Terry Plucknett

Posted - 12/23/10

People are always surprised when I tell them how little experience I have with John Wayne movies.  There were always two categories of classic movies that I had no experience with until recently: Hitchcock films and John Wayne films.  In the last couple years, I have been introduced to them but still have a long way to go.  As for John Wayne, I have only seen one film, Stagecoach.  However, I do know a lot about his other films.  I know he starred in an array of films although he is most known for westerns, his final film was The Shootist, and his most iconic character is the one he won his Oscar for: Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.  Normally, remakes of iconic films featuring iconic characters suffer from the endless comparisons to the original.  However, it all depends on whose hands the project is placed, and there are not more capable hands than the Coen brothers.  There is also no one better to dawn the iconic eye patch than Jeff Bridges.

True Grit tells the story of a hunt for a murderer.  Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) guns a man down and skips town.  The victim’s 14 year-old daughter, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), is determined to bring Chaney to justice.  She hires the infamous U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her track down Chaney.  As they prepare to embark on their journey, a third person joins their party; a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who has been in pursuit of Chaney for years.  With LaBoeuf’s knowledge of the Chaney, Cogburn’s knowledge of the area, and Ross’s determination for justice, this mismatched trio set out in pursuit of a killer and the gang of men hiding him.

As I have said, I have not seen the original True Grit.  However, I do not need to know the original to know that this was a completely fresh take on the story.  It is definitely a Coen-ized version.  There are so many things throughout the film that scream the Coen brothers’ trademark.  As in every Coen movie, there are a plethora of quirky supporting characters.  From the trader Mattie’s father was dealing with to the random vagabond dressed in bear skin, the Coens once again prove that no one writes small scene-stealing characters like Joel and Ethan.  Another trademark that pops up are the perfectly placed and worded deadpan lines that shed a humorous light on a situation.  For example, when Cogburn sets up an ambush to gain information on Chaney that results in four dead, one escaped, LaBoeuf shot and injured, and no information, Rooster surveys the scene and simply states, “Well that didn’t pan out.”  Another example is a scene where Cogburn and LaBoeuf decide to see who the better marksman is by using corn bread as skeets.  When Cogburn misses, he blames the gun.  LeBoeuf says, “I thought you were gonna say the sun was in your eyes.  That is to say, your eye.”  These are just a few examples of the Coen charm shining through as it has a tendency to do in all their films.

Outside the writing and direction of the Coens, the film is also made by the amazing performances.  As I said before, John Wayne could not have picked a better actor to reprise the role of Rooster Cogburn than Jeff Bridges.  He plays this grizzled old character as a mix of The Dude and his Oscar-winning character in Crazy Heart.  He is extremely informal yet effective.  However, you can also tell he is fighting some inner demons.  Matt Damon gives a charming performance by channeling his inner Matthew McConaughey to embody the laid back intensity of his Texas Ranger.  Seriously, look up Matt Damon’s Matthew McConaughey impression, and you will see that it is one and the same.  As I have already stated, the supporting cast is perfect, including Brolin’s Chaney (who was almost too quirky to be believable, but it worked) and Barry Pepper’s Lucky Ned.  However, this film starts, runs, and ends with the amazing Hailee Steinfeld.  As much publicity as Rooster Cogburn gets, this story really revolves around Mattie Ross.  She is the focal point of all that happens throughout the film, and Steinfeld’s performance makes this movie work.  Her Mattie Ross is tough, determined, persuasive, yet naïve in a way.  It is a perfect performance that deserves serious recognition.

Overall, True Grit is much more than a remake.  It would almost be an insult to the Coens to pigeonhole one of their films like that.  It is a film that honors the original, but also stands on its own as a contemporary western that has something in it for everyone.

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