True Grit (2010)

Director: Ethan & Joel Coen                           Writers: Ethan & Joel Coen
Film Score: Carter Burwell                              Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon and Barry Pepper

In their remake of the classic John Wayne western from 1969 the Coen brothers have updated the story by going back to the time period and striving for authenticity by having characters speak in proper English. Of course, that brings with it intended hilarity as only they can do. The story of True Grit a simple one as a girl of uncommon intelligence--and vocabulary--comes into town to settle the affairs of her father’s death. But the most important thing for her is avenging his death by tracking down the killer and bringing him to justice. The girl is played by Hailee Steinfeld who is terrific in the role made famous by Kim Darby in the original. Steinfeld is a child actor who has been in a few short films and TV episodes starting in 2007, but since this film has completed or signed on for almost a dozen films. The man she hires for the job is Jeff Bridges as the drunk and cantankerous Rooster Cogburn. At the same time, Matt Damon is a Texas Ranger who has been hunting her father’s killer for another murder he committed in Texas. She has no use for Damon, but he is after a considerable bounty on the man and will not be deterred.

Steinfeld pays Bridges but he heads out early on her, leaving her behind. When she catches up to the two men it’s clear they will not be able to get rid of her and she winds up going along. Bridges gives a nice performance--nominated by the Academy--but to my mind it’s a little difficult to make out the dialogue through his gruff vocal affectation. Josh Brolin is the killer who is finally tracked down by the trio, but it really could have been anyone. It’s a small part that doesn’t have a whole lot of character to it, and something of a disappointment because he lacks menace. He was much better in No Country for Old Men as the pursued man on the run. More impressive is Barry Pepper who plays the leader of the gang and the man who gets the drop on Bridges. There’s a wonderful cross-film moment that happens when Damon, who is bearing down on Pepper through the sight on his rifle, prays to make a good shot. This unconsciously replicates the prayer that Pepper makes in Saving Private Ryan when he is the sniper who prays before every shot. Another memorable performance comes from Dakin Matthews as the moneyman in town who gets out-negotiated by Steinfeld when she threatens him with legal action--her lawyer, heard in voice-over only, the great J.K. Simmons.

If there’s a high point in the entire production it is the screenplay, one of the things that the Coen Brothers do best and they do not disappoint. The highly stylized dialogue that rolls off the tongues of the characters is not only humorous, but humorous in itself in terms of vocabulary and adds an entirely new layer of impressiveness to the production. Another aspect of the film that distinguishes it from its predecessor is that the brothers went back to the original 1968 novel by Charles Portis for their inspiration, keeping the character of Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, front and center throughout. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in ten different categories, but couldn’t manage to break through in a particularly strong year that saw the Oscars dominated by The King’s Speech. Ultimately, what makes the film so good and enjoyable to watch is that it holds true to the conventions of the western and doesn’t try to make it something it’s not. It definitely has the Coen touch, but working within a set framework has brought out another side of the brothers that is equally impressive as their more eccentric films. True Grit is one of those rare remakes that doesn’t try to copy the original but makes it a new film with the same basic story arc. And the actors who bring that new vision to life make it an incredibly satisfying cinematic experience.