Review: True Grit

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When the first trailer for this remake of the 1969 film starring John Wayne first premiered online, I had one question: how would the notorious directing duo Joel and Ethan Coen ('Fargo', 'No Country for Old Men', and many others) handle the style of a Western? Would they go for a more modern take similar to what they did with 'No Country'? Would it be a traditional Western? Or something in-between? Because as many of you may know, the Coens are not exactly known for normal movies. Everything they make has a signature quirk, and often darkness, to it. In my mind a remake that brought out the darkness and grisly violence of an old Western sounded promising. 

But when it came down to seeing it last night at midnight, I had to remind myself that expectations are everything. And in this case, I think expectations will rule your opinion of the Coen's take on 'True Grit' that ended up being a very traditional, comedic, even somewhat family-friendly Western that hearkens back to the days of John Wayne.

'True Grit' is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Portis and tells of 14 year-old Mattie Ross (excellent newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) who is determined to bring her father's killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) to justice. To do so she hires US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) who in turn invites Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) to help track down Chaney. A Western can typically go one of two ways: a) the good guys wait in a town for the bad guys to come to them, or b) they set out to hunt down the bad guys. Obviously, the answer is B.

Paramount Pictures

The story starts off a bit slow and isn't chock full of action, and when the ending comes around, it comes up fast. There's a variety of oddball characters which is true to the original film and it works perfectly for the Coens who usually have a lot of weird characters. Bridges makes for a fine Cogburn, even better than Wayne's Oscar-winning portrayal, in my opinion. His heavy Western drawl of an accent is quite comical and the fact that he is drunk for a good part of the film definitely helps make the perfect, crusty, old gunslinger. Bridges' Cogburn works quite well as an older drunk version of the Dude from 'The Big Lebowski.' Every time I see Bridges in a movie I can't help but find comparisons to the Dude. Damon's Laboeuf is much like the original character, a cocky, know-it-all lawman who doesn't have much respect for Cogburn's style and propensity to shoot before asking any questions.

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And while Brolin and Barry Pepper (as bad gunman 'Lucky' Ned Pepper) do a fine job as well, the real winner is Steinfeld. The Oscars generally need a young, new actress to be nominated every year, and I'm fairly confident that Steinfeld will at least be nominated although Jennifer Lawrence is favored as the 'great young actress' for 'Winter's Bone.' Still, the Coens definitely know how to pick a cast and bring out the best in everyone no matter how good or bad an actor may be. Everyone fit the mold of their character perfectly and the Coens really held back from creating anything other than a true Western that did the original justice and more.

It was especially fun to see Pepper deliver the famous line "that's pretty bold talk for a one-eyed fatman", and Briges deliver the retort "fill your hands you son-of-a-bitch!" If I went into the theater not knowing anything about the directors or the original, it'd be fairly easy to think I was watching a classic Western. A few people have tried to make Westerns in this age like '3:10 to Yuma' and 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.' 'Yuma' was fun, but obviously made in the 21st century. The same goes for 'Jesse James' even though I'm a huge fan of it's haunting, captivating visuals, pacing, and acting.

Paramount Pictures

So, like I said, your opinion of this movie is all hinged on your expectations. Even though it's not what I was expecting, 'True Grit' has only furthered my opinion of the Coens because it shows the breadth of their capabilities. It's a wonder that 'True Grit' was snubbed for any nominations by the Golden Globes because everything about it is solid. Maybe it's because the Coens didn't pull another 'Fargo' or 'No Country.' I don't see how a traditional movie like this doesn't deserve attention alongside stereotypical award winners like 'The King's Speech.' That movie (even though I haven't seen it and really want to) doesn't seem that 'inventive.' So if you're a fan of the Wayne classic, Westerns, and old-time fun, I'm sure you'll really enjoy it. It's a perfect holiday-film outing in my opinion.