#1133- True Grit (2010)Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen
Plot Summary: Young Mattie Ross arrives to identify and collect her father's body after he was murdered in cold blood by a drunk named Tom Chaney. Determined to avenge her father's death, Mattie hires a Deputy U.S. Marshall by the name of Rooster Cogburn to track Chaney down. To make sure it goes well, Mattie insists on joining Rooster for the journey. Chaney is also being tracked by a Texas Ranger named LaBeouf, who proposes to team up with Mattie and Rooster since they're all after a common bounty. Their trail leads them to catch up with Chaney, who is now in the company of "Lucky" Ned Pepper on Indian Territory, and when Mattie is held in their captivity, it becomes a struggle to see who will come out on top in this stalemate of Mattie, Rooster, and LaBeouf against Chaney, Pepper and his men.
Let's not cut to the chase with this one. There's a very simple premise with how I wanted to tackle True Grit, and that's under the idea that this is a remake. Yes, there are TWO versions of True Grit out there, this one, and the original being a John Wayne classic. So of course, the obvious question going into the 2010 version was finding out what was so special about this one that it made the list over an iconic Western starring arguably the most iconic cowboy in history. To be honest, I'm not sure I was able to figure out why. The original, while much tamer in terms of content, tells most of the same story and does so with a cast featuring the likes of John Wayne and Robert Duvall. I mean...it's a Western starring John Wayne and Robert Duvall and it does NOT make the list? Yet the Coen Brothers are able to make a film that so surpasses the original that it's deemed worthy? Considering this film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and walked away with nothing, it's quite possible that this could drift more towards the overrated pile of Coen Brothers' films.
Jeff Bridges reunites with the Coen Brothers to take on the role of Rooster Cogburn. Since the original Rooster was played by the iconic John Wayne, Bridges had HUGE shoes to fill, but thankfully he doesn't try to do a John Wayne impression. He really does make the character his own, and his drunken state almost makes me believe that Rooster could be an Ol' West version of Bridges of the Dude. I will say the biggest problem I have with Rooster is how he's built up as this great bounty hunter and we see more of him in his drunkenness. He has his moments, but I never got the impression that I was looking at "one of the best," but instead someone who was way out of their prime, almost a living shell of who they used to be.
The character that sticks out like a sore thumb the most in this film is the Texas Ranger LaBeouf, played by Matt Damon. I enjoy Matt Damon, but just look at that outfit. This film thrives on having a true grittiness (PUN INTENDED) in its character and production design, and then they go ahead and throw in a character played by one of the biggest modern names we have in Hollywood and they dress him up like THAT? On top of that, there's something strange in Damon's delivery, I'm not sure what it is though, maybe it's the way he speaks or what he's saying, but his character comes across of being in way over his head during everything.If we're splitting hairs here, I really believe the main character in the film is Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld. If you want any proof of why Steinfeld should be considered one of the best young actors out there today, look at her performance here. Mattie is so driven by the murder of her that she almost appears unstable in her conquests for revenge. There are so many times where she's like a machine or the Energizer bunny, she just doesn't stop. And while it can be unsettling, there's almost an endearing and relatable quality to it. Sure, they always tell us revenge is never the answer, but from the point of view of a child who is now down one parent and doesn't have a strong enough mother to support the family, it's understandable why she doesn't see it that way. She wants to avenge her father's death and goes to the most insane of lengths to make sure it's done correctly. The fact that she's both a woman and child is also very captivating since women and children weren't exactly the kinds of characters that were at the forefront of Western adventures.
Not only do we have star-studded heroes, but we also have a pair of strong villain performances thanks to some great character actors. First is Tom Chaney, played by Josh Brolin, who plays a slack-jawed drunken fool who really feels like an odd choice for our murderer since he doesn't seem like a crafty strategist. He's just in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Lucky" Ned Pepper, played by Barry Pepper (what a coincidence), seems more like the kind of character that our heroes should follow, but he's more underplayed than anything else, making the audience want to know more about him. Even more interesting is that the villains don't show up until the final act, so they have a short amount of time to make an impact, and by doing so, they feel like they've been part of the film since the beginning.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
I know there are a lot out there that consider True Grit one of the Coen Brothers' better movies, but I don't really see it that way. I don't hate the film, but there isn't too much appeal that I see to it. It does have a strong cast and is filmed well, but it felt as though something was missing in keeping me invested. I'd say it's worth a rental for Western lovers, especially if you want to compare it with the John Wayne original.
True Grit and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures
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