The Coens go straight.
Have the Coen Brothers ever made a perfect film? Fargo and No Country For Old Men come pretty close. Either way, there is no doubting their brilliance. They are unique and prolific and even there minor works (like 2009's A Serious Man) better most mainstream Hollywood films thanks to their assembly line of quirky characters, sharp scripts and surreal sense of humour.
True Grit feels like an attempt for perfection and for the first half at least, it reaches those heights. It is a film that shows the Coens at their most confident and restrained. It is, for the most part, a straightforward modern Western. Their films have often experimented with Western genre conventions (strange loners roaming wide open landscapes) and No Country For Old Men is a Western of sorts, albeit one set in the 1980s. So it makes sense that they have made a out-and-out Western featuring Cowboys, Indians... and a man in a bear suit.
I should say first-off that I haven't read the novel by Charles Portis or seen the original True Grit (1969) (for which John Wayne won his only Oscar). So seeing this not-really-a-remake-but-more-of-a-reinterpretation-of-the-original-source is the first time I have experienced the story. In the Coens hands, the story is simple but effective and relies on three terrific performances to carry it forward. Jeff Bridges is superb as the grouchy, gravelly voiced, whisky guzzling U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn, and Matt Damon continues to impress in his role as the Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf - an arrogant cowboy complete with spurs and other cowboy accessories. Both of these established actors are given a run for their money though by newcomer Hailee Steinfield in an eye-opening debut lead role as Mattie Ross - a determined and wise-beyond-her-years 14 year-old who can out-talk anyone three times her age (one of the best and funniest scenes involves her bartering with an old businessman and winning convincingly).
Mattie is out for revenge. Her father was murdered by an outlaw, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and she has recruited Cogburn to help her find him and bring him to justice. LaBoeuf is also after Chaney but for different reasons. The three reluctantly team up and begin the long search for a man who could be anywhere in the remote forests and deserts. A revenge story though it is, True Grit ultimately is about bigger things - friendship, loyalty, survival and death. The way that Bridges, Damon and Steinfield play off each other is a joy to watch. There are moments of tension, humour and tenderness between them. They all go through their own journey and discover something about themselves, leading to a poignant, emotional ending.
True Grit never looks anything less that beautiful thanks to Roger Deakins cinematography. This isn't the old West bathed in sun, heat and sand, but one that is cold, snowy and foreboding. Deakins partnership with the Coens has lead to some of the best looking films of recent memory. Someone give him the Oscar now please. Speaking of Oscars, why Steinfield has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category and not the lead actress one is beyond me. She practically carries the film and if anything is the lead character. Mattie is the one with true grit and Cogburn and LeBoeuf are humbled by her intelligence and maturity. Unlike a lot of the Coen Brothers work, it is a film with real heart, and that heart comes from the Mattie character.
I really enjoyed True Grit, even loved parts of it, but there are a couple of reasons why I think it falls short of perfection. The first is the same problem I had with No Country For Old Men in that quite often the dialogue was incomprehensible. It might just be my rubbish ears but sometimes what Jeff Bridges says, as brilliant though he is, just comes out as a mumbling noise. It's a shame as the script is brilliant and very funny. I also felt that Brolin was underused, and therefore his character underdeveloped, in a third act which simply doesn't live up to the rest of the film. That said, the ending is marvellous - the sight of Cogburn and Mattie riding under the stars will stay with you.
The Coen's make film-making seem effortless and True Grit is a welcome addition to their hard-to-beat back catalogue. It is possibly their most focussed and disciplined work but I don't believe it to be their best. That may yet be to come.
4 / 5
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