I'm sure even the most hardened Coen Brothers fan had some doubts upon hearing the highly illustrious brothers were considering another remake. After all, the last time they attempted one, was 2004's notorious "The Ladykillers", which along with "Intolerable Cruelty" is regarded as the least favoured in the Coen canon. However the Coens are far too astute to hamper themselves again. Part of me even thinks that they know something about those two films that we don't-after all, they are very noticeable blotches on their otherwise impeccable filmography. The Coens have always done what they meant to, which is part of what makes them such great film makers. Everything in their films is so perfectly judged, that the fact that "The Ladykillers" and "Intolerable Cruelty" are the misfires that they are, makes them stick out even further like a sore thumb. Although some have speculated it's their lack of 'Coen-isms' in the scripts I believe it to be something else. For "True Grit" is yet another fantastic achievement by the brothers, and yet for all its stunning wordplay, and oddball characters, it is as times, not very Coen at all. It is a Western, plain and simple. Delivered without any irony, the audience are transported back to a gritty, rough and unforgiving time. One that while it recalls the epic, silent landscapes and southern grit of "No Country For Old Men" and "Raising Arizona", it finds the brothers on new tides. Not that you'd ever know it; it offers something new to the great Coen pantheon while still more than living up to earlier classics.
Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is bereaved after the recent and senseless murder of her father. At 14 years old she is head strong, confident, and more than a little vulnerable, but no less capable of taking care of herself. Being all these things and more, she takes it upon herself to capture and bring justice to her fathers murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). In order to do this, she hires boozy US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn (a marvelously cantankerous Jeff Bridges), the only man with enough 'true grit' to get the job done. Along the way they meet Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a man also out to capture Tom Chaney and bring him back to his native Texan soil. Along with its plot, its characters are completely without fault-something which is the very least you can expect from the brothers Coen. Utilizing its chase movie set-up, they find ample room for quirky observations on the many 'characters' the Wild West had to offer and which are more than a dying breed nowadays. Within its themes of revenge, redemption and everything in between, they also allow the relationship between Mattie and Cogburn to grow. As Mattie, Steinfeld was called upon to do an awful lot. It is she who carries the film and grounds it around the more colourful characterisations of LaBoeuf and Cogburn. At merely 13 years old, she very nearly walks away with the film, so strong is her performance. No mean feat with a cast of this calibre, all of whom fire with all guns blazing. As Laboeuf, Damon gets most of the laughs. A slightly egotistical and proud man, his vanity and pride lend itself to the films funniest moments, especially when the aftermath of one action leaves him with a subtle, yet humourous speech impediment for the rest of the films running time. And completing the trio is Bridges' Cogburn. Much has been made of the John Wayne 1969 original film and the Dukes performance with which he won his only oscar. Here Bridges walks away with the role; in fact it is fair to say he completely dominates it over Wayne and will be remembered as the definitive actor for the part. Through his mumbled, slurred and thickly southern drawl, it is he who gets the film loudest performance and he is a pleasure to watch. His constant butting heads with LaBoeuf is a source of many of the most entertaining moments and his slow warming up to the strong willed Mattie gives the film its heart.
The film is not afraid to be funny when it has to while still retaining its smarts and originality. Every Coens film has wry moments of humour (even the blacker than black "No Country For Old Men") and "True Grit" is no exception. In fact its violence and harshness, is contrasted wonderfully with two of the most humourous characters seen in a Coens film for quite sometime in LaBeouf and Cogburn (a fantastic double act). Bridges' second team up with the brothers after the classic "The Big Lebowski" was always going to deliver, while Josh Brolin delivers in the few scenes he has. However newcomers Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon and Barry Pepper fit very comfortably with the Coens sensibilities. Pepper in particular steals the film in his limited screen time, which reminds the viewer of how talented he always was-completely unrecognizable here, he is better than ever before. When it comes down to it, the Coens always cast their films impeccably. When it came to remaking the original, they faced doubting looks not only from their previously burned fans, but from the lovers of the John Wayne classic. Although it shares vaguely the same plot, the Coens stick closer to the original 1968 book it is based on, and it is from where it gets its emotional weight. Dialogue stems from the novel but also shines with the best the brothers have previously offered. In the end with a surprising amount going against them, the brothers turn in their most crowd pleasing, yet no less effective work in some time. What they never forget is that while Bridges may hog the limelight, its title is not about him-it is our heroine Mattie who always had true grit.
Verdict: 9/10
Bridges chews up the scenery and all the supporting cast (especially Pepper) deliver while Steinfeld gives an incredibly assured debut performance belittling her young age. In the end it may be commercial and crowd pleasing but it is no less Coen and their stunning sensibilities linger throughout in Roger Deakins gorgeous images, Carter Burwells heartfelt strings, and their own inimitable and finely tuned dialogue. If this is the Coens selling out, then more of it would be very much welcomed indeed.
