(Long Island, N.Y.) I’m not a huge fan of westerns, but when a great one comes along; I can’t help but sit up and take notice. Now, while most of those great films have starred Clint Eastwood – The Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Unforgiven, etc. – occasionally a non-Eastwood Western comes along that I also find enjoyable. Enter True Grit, a remake of the 1969 John Wayne film and possibly the least weird film ever made by the directing duo of the Coen brothers.
Now, I’ve never really seen the original version of True Grit, which itself was based on a 1968 novel by Charles Portis, although I have seen snippets of it here and there on TV. I know it’s considered a classic, but (and I run the risk of hate mail for saying this) I was never much of a John Wayne fan. Sure, the guy is iconic, and he had loads of presence and charisma, but once you get past all the hype, you’re left with the fact that he was also one of the worst actors in history. Sorry, but that’s why I never really made it a priority to watch what many consider to be his greatest role. But now what I’ve seen the remake by the Coen brothers, which has Jeff Bridges taking on Wayne’s famous role as U.S. Marshal Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn, I just might have to re-evaluate my stance.
Now, you all know how disgusted I am by the non-stop glut of remakes Hollywood is churning out on a monthly basis. Remaking a film that doesn’t need it just to cash in on nostalgia simply represents the fact that the big studios are just fresh out of ideas and afraid to take risks on unproven concepts that might just break them out of their stale rut. Still, once in a while, a remake can be a good thing
if done for artistic reasons and not at the whim of the almighty dollar. The Coen brothers stated that their goal in remaking True Grit was to be more loyal to the source novel. Now, since I haven’t really seen the original or read the novel, I can’t rightfully say if they achieved that goal. My girlfriend, who has seen the 1969 film, states that many of the scenes were actually the same. However, I doubt John Wayne’s Rooster Cogburn blasted an unarmed man in the eye with his hand-cannon at point-blank range like Bridges did, so already I’m thinking a remake wasn’t such a bad idea. After
all, look how right John Carpenter got it when he remade the hokey 50’s sci-fi flick The Thing?
So, this film, like many, has a story (yes, really!). True Grit’s starts out with 14 year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) telling the audience about how her daddy was gunned down by the dastardly Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), who got clean away with the crime. Mattie wants justice (and mom’s not really of much use), so she gathers what cash she can and sets out to hire the most merciless dude she can find to bring Chaney in. Enter Rooster Cogburn, who, as played by Bridges, is kind of a fat, gross, and downright nasty old man, but, as Mattie’s luck would have it, he’s also one mean S.O.B. who always gets the job done.
Rooster takes some convincing, especially when it comes to Mattie’s demand that she accompany him, but eventually he agrees to take the job. Along the way they acquire a tag-along in the form of Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who has been tracking Chaney for some time. However, can this strange team even stop bickering with each other, let alone track down the evil Chaney in the middle of the badlands and bring him to justice?
I mentioned that this was the least weird movie of the Coen brothers’ career, and so it is. Their trademark bizarre characters and symbolism are strangely absent, making True Grit their most mainstream-friendly release yet. Of course, there was
that one wacko guy that made farm animal noises for no real reason…maybe that was the Coen brothers’ concession to long-time fans of their work? I dunno. But regardless, True Grit is wonderfully filmed with beautiful scenery and cinematography, and the Coen brothers’ talent for making actors’ bring their rather bland dialogue to glorious life is still there in spades.
Oh, yeah, the actors. There’s not one performance in this film that is in any way, shape or form bad. Or even average. In other words, everyone is flat-out amazing. Yes, even the extras, but let’s concentrate on the main cast, yes? Jeff Bridges’ cantankerous take on Rooster Cogburn really has to be seen to be believed…here’s one actor that’s not afraid of looking (or acting) ugly on-camera. Bridges manages to maintain a grating sandpaper-like voice without fail, and while Rooster is dirty and nasty and all, you still manage to see faint traces of his big heart underneath the rough exterior. When he’s not completely drunk, that is. Just a wonderful, wonderful role by a long-time great actor.
Matt Damon continues to build his legacy with a slightly comedic turn as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf. He’s a deadly serious character, but at the same time Damon adds little touches to his portrayal that bring a bit of silliness to the proceedings. For example, at one point he injures his tongue, and his speech for the rest of the movie sounds like he’s got a mouthful of cotton, which makes a heartfelt speech he delivers later on both stirring and amusing.
However, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld really steals the show as Mattie, a spunky, no-nonsense teen who’s wise and mature beyond her years. Josh Brolin is also great, even though his role pretty much amounts to a glorified cameo. Oh, and that one weird-looking Irish actor from Day of the Dead played an undertaker! Isn’t that cool?
My only real problem with True Grit is the ending, which was very abrupt, and, frankly, lame. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a happy ending where everything is neatly tied up and the hero rides off into the sunset with his main squeeze at his side and the Death Stars blows up and all that nonsense, but True Grit’s “Oh, yeah, this thing happened 25 years later, thanks, bye!” was pretty lame.
Other than that one minor complaint (is it minor, though? You’re supposed to go out strong…ah, never mind), True Grit is one of the best Westerns…actually, forget that, one of the best MOVIES (aside from the ending) made in ages. Go see it!
