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MOVIE REVIEW
True Grit
Mattie Gets Her Gun, Her Man
And Her Glory
Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn and Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross in The Coen
Brothers' new
film "True Grit".
Paramount
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Wednesday,
December 22, 2010
Joel and Ethan Coen's "True Grit", the directors are quick to say, is not a
remake of the 1969 John Wayne film. Rather, it is their interpretation of
Charles Portis' grim novel, complete with the filmmakers' trademark stylistic
flourishes. The film, which begins with the Biblical proverb, "The wicked
flee when none pursueth", opened across North America today.
Just after the American Civil War, U.S. Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff
Bridges) is recruited by the plucky, whip-smart 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee
Steinfeld) to capture Tom Chaney, a Choctaw Indian (Josh
Brolin, in a cameo appearance) for the murder of her father.
Mattie wants "to kill him myself", she eagerly declares. Cogburn is one of
two sloppy but serious men who trek into the wilderness to accomplish their
assigned task. The other is LaBeouf (Matt Damon), a self-proclaimed Texas
Ranger, whose name feels more like a running joke than anything. (Where's
LaBeouf?, Mattie asks at one point, and a 1980s Wendy's Hamburgers commercial
flashes through the mind.)
Mattie is fearless, ahead of her time and brave enough to assert herself in an
age decades before women in America won the right to vote. (One character
tells Mattie: "I don't need an affidavit. I just need your silence.")
She stands ably on her own two feet, albeit among a one-eyed, "fat" galoot who
can barely shoot straight, and a hard-headed injured, 30-something Ranger whose
idea of masculinity is pulling out a switch and striking Mattie with it (when
not wishing to kiss her.)
Of the men, Cogburn oozes the scars of many a battle as much in his voice as his
body. He's up for the fight, but more apt in these late days of life for
some rounds of whisky drinking. Men on both sides of the dividing line of
misguided and outlaw mock and ridicule Mattie, but she, like Frances McDormand's
character in the Coens' "Fargo" turns out to be the strongest link. The
father-daughter dynamic between Mattie and Cogburn is a treat, as is the quiet,
reflective mood of the disciplined script by Mssrs. Coen and Coen.
Mr. Bridges smartly makes Cogburn his own, rather than duplicate Mr. Wayne's
Oscar-winning effort. Relentlessly physical and unselfconscious, Mr.
Bridges stumbles, ambles and staggers through as the weary Cogburn, effectively
branding this famed (and previously Oscar-winning character.) Mr. Damon's
reluctant and understated approach to LaBeouf makes for a fine contrast between
two men of different generations spoiling for a bounty. Yet the revelation
of "True Grit" is the astonishing big screen debut of young Miss Steinfeld as
the heroic Mattie, no shrinking violet. Utterly in command of both her
role and the film, Miss Steinfeld's unabashed confidence (and containment) in
her craft shines through so brightly that she is as formidable a performer as
any of the veterans on screen. She is likely to win the Oscar next year
for her supporting work here, Jacki Weaver not withstanding.
This gloriously evocative western (beautifully shot by the brilliant
cinematographer Roger Deakins, who never, it seems, has a bad day at the office)
is not as deep as the prior edition of the film. There's a halting humor
throughout this 21st century "True Grit", which indeed stays true to the genre
while gently parodying it. Underlying the film's lightness is a warmth and
emotion that defines a tender bond between a father and daughter. "True
Grit" is one of the Coens' more affecting and touching pictures, if not among
their best. Absent from much of this film is the directors' reliably harsh
indictment of human nature, even if the nebbish-like behaviors and idiosyncratic
ticks of the anthropological animal they are fascinated by do rear their heads.
Carter Burwell's (Oscar ineligible, sigh) original score is smooth, precise and
serene, punctuating the deliberate pace of the story, without thundering down on
or overwhelming the audience as the music scores in Westerns sometimes do.
Above all, "True Grit" is a pleasure to behold and enjoy for fans and non-fans
of Westerns alike, and it's very easy to sit through more than once. Time
flies when you're having fun.
With: Barry Pepper, Elizabeth Marvel, Dakin Matthews, Jarlath Conroy, Paul Rae,
Domhnall Gleeson, Bruce Green, Peter Leung, Ed Lee Corbin.
"True Grit" is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association Of
America for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing
images. The film's running time is one hour and 50 minutes.
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