The Coen brothers are known for their genre-defying films. Their films can generally be described as both quirky and dark, surely an odd combination. As such, I was expecting more besides the traditional western fare in 2010's True Grit. But the Coens do not deliver any new twists on the western. What they do deliver is a terrific, yet classical western film. I have not seen the original 1969 adaptation of the Charles Portis novel starring John Wayne, but from what I have heard, and what I know about The Duke, this adaptation is truer to not only the original source material, but also the actual old west.
The story follows Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who hires a Rooster Cogburn, a US Marshall (Jeff Bridges, in the role originally played by John Wayne) to track down her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and either kill him or bring him back to town to be hanged. Instead of the rigid, militaristic incarnation of Cogburn (I imagine) John Wayne delivered, Bridges plays the Marshall as an unkempt, rough an tumble, slob. His attitude is spot on and exactly fits how we imagine a man who spends his time in saloons and on horseback; however, Bridges delivers his line with such a thick, guttural southern drawl many of his lines are barely intelligible which is sometimes distracting. Cogburn and Ross are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who is tracking down Chaney for murdering a Texas state senator.
The star of the show here is Steinfeld, who in her film debut does a remarkable job as the unflappable Mattie Ross. She deservedly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She delivers her lines with the confidence of an actress more than twice her age, and accurately portrays the steely Ross as she appears in Portis's novel. She also, perhaps at the Coens guidance, adeptly avoids the pitfall of making her adorable. Mattie Ross does not live in an adorable world and as such she is all business.
Like westerns of the past, True Grit is very straight forward. There are no big twists and turns, the characters are not all that complex, and the dialog is efficient and to the point. But the Coens do a great job nonetheless. Like all Coen brothers films, the attention to detail in the cinematography pays off. We're still given strong, memorable images without the traditional landscapes of western films – full of mountains and meadows, and remarkable scenery like John Ford's beloved Monument Valley. Instead, we are given harsh, threatening wastelands that would be just as fitting for a Cormac McCarthy novel. Looking at the Coens earlier work, it is surprising that they would make this film, especially in the way they did. It will be interesting to see what the Coens do next. Will they return to their old darkly eccentric style, or will they adopt a new genre to explore. Their next film, Gambit, is set to release later this year.
Rating: 8/10 - Righteous
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