True Grit (2010)
The Dude does the Duke
For
the majority of its twelve months, 2010 wasn’t a very good year for movies.
While there were the occasional gems such as Shutter Island, How to Train
Your Dragon, and Kick-Ass, the
first half of the year was deathly starved of quality movies. Even the summer
only had a few hits like Toy Story 3,
Inception, and The Expendables. But while I expected things to pick up during
Oscar season (September-December), I didn’t foresee the amount of so many great
movies that would arrive. One of those was the Coen brothers’ remake of the
John Wayne western, True Grit, which
was immediately embraced by almost everyone, critics and audiences alike. While
I will say it was a very good movie, I can’t quite shower it with the same amount
of praise.
Plot Synopsis: After her father is murdered at the
hands of the outlaw Tom Chaney, teenager Mattie Ross requests the help of
Marshall Rooster Cogburn in an effort to track down Chaney (or possibly kill
him). Texas Ranger La Boeuf, who has been on the trail of Chaney for some time
because of another murder and who wishes to take him in on his own terms, also
soon joins Mattie and Rooster along the way.
First,
a little background: I have seen the original, but the remake does manage to
best it in almost every category. The Coen brothers have gone back to the
original Charles Portis novel for inspiration, more so in little details rather
than the overall story. The movie pretty much goes through the same events that
Wayne trekked through before, albeit pumped up with the Coens’ flair for
elegant writing and strong, slightly quirky characters. And while not darkly
gritty in the vain of Clint Eastwood westerns nor does it have the “clean”
feeling of old (i.e. John Wayne) westerns, the Coens find a nice middle ground
where the beautiful landscapes and scenery are punctuated by stark bouts of
action.
Amazingly,
there is not one weak link within the entire cast. Jeff Bridges does a great
job of making this Rooster his to call his own, refraining from referencing
John Wayne’s performance with the exception of when the plot called for it.
Cogburn is a humorous and oddball character, but he’s also quick on the draw
and won’t hesitate on shooting if the occasion called for it. However,
first-time actress Hailee Steinfeld steals the film right from under everyone,
meaning Matt Damon (La Boeuf), Josh Brolin (Chaney), and even Bridges. Whenever
Steinfeld (as Mattie) is present, and that’s about 90% of the time, she
dominates the movie with her hardened assertiveness and remarkable maturity,
while at the same time reminding us that she is still a child who has yet to
experience some of the harsh realities of life.
And
while everything I’ve mentioned cements that True Grit comes highly recommended, I cannot quite say it is one of
the top five movies of the year like so many others have stated. I felt an odd
sense of detachment during the course of the movie, meaning I wasn’t quite as
involved in the plot as I probably should have been. Also, I began to notice a
pattern of mumbling and occasionally hard to understand actor voices; starting
with Bridges’ droll speech and Brolin’s bumbling and then eventually Damon
joins in on the act after Le Boeuf bites his tongue. This was more of a minor
annoyance than anything significant, but it bothered me at times. Nevertheless,
I would still say the movie is very good, satisfying, and very recommended, but
I didn’t quite see anything so above and beyond that I fell head over heels in love with it.
3.5/4
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