VENGEANCE IS MINE: a review of "True Grit"

"TRUE GRIT"

Based upon the original novel by Charles Portis

Written for the Screen and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

*** 1/2 (three and a half stars)

I have never been terribly enamored with the Western.

My feelings concerning this particular film genre do not exist for any real reasons but somehow, the sight of the lone cowboy riding the range on the dusty trail just doesn’t carry much appeal for me. This is not a set in stone rule with me, as every Western I have seen has filled me with various levels of enjoyment.

The first Western I can recall seeing in a movie theater had to have been Writer/Director Lawrence Kasdan’s “Silverado” (1985), which was then followed by Clint Eastwood’s enrapturing ghostly tale of “Pale Rider” (1985). As for the classics, college film classes afforded me the opportunity to experience John Ford's “My Darling Clementine” (1946) and Howard Hawks' “Rio Bravo” (1959) starring the iconic John Wayne. Both films were ones I absolutely dreaded the thought of sitting through yet both films were the ones I was ultimately entertained the most by during that semester. Certainly, Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly" (1966) is a veritable masterpiece that is essential viewing for any film enthusiast, especially for any fans of Quentin Tarantino. Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” (1992), his deconstruction of the Western which also won Best Picture of that year is a film I actually have been meaning to return to for some time as I was a bit dismissive upon its original release (a segment for Savage Cinema revisits perhaps?). And yet, I remain resistant. Maybe it is due to my urban upbringing combined with my personal tastes for the modern yet the archetypal characters and themes of the Western do appeal to me greatly. Honestly, what is my beloved “Star Wars” but a Western?

All of this being said, nothing could keep me away from a new project by Joel and Ethan Coen, Western or not and their brand new remake of the classic “True Grit” is a film which provides beautifully loquacious and enormous entertainment for all who choose to saddle up.

Hailee Steinfeld gives a standout performance as 14-year-old Mattie Ross, a feverishly determined young woman out to avenge the senseless murder of her Father by the cowardly Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Enlisting the aid of the notoriously mean U.S. Marshall Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and the arrogant Texas Ranger LaBeouf (pronounced as “Le Beef” and portrayed by Matt Damon), the trio of unlikely heroes trek deep within the Indian Nations in pursuit of Cheney all the while discovering the newfound and existing levels of “grit” within themselves and each other.

As far as a plot is concerned, the above description is all you need for a story such as this one. The lines of good and evil are clearly laid out, and the wants and needs of the heroes and villains are easily ascertainable and understandable. What makes “True Grit” stand tall is the attention paid to all of the characters, their motivations and how they relate to one another, their surroundings and themselves. I have been very critical of the idea of remakes, sequels and re-boots for some time. While I am not against them as a rule, the lack of cinematic inspiration in recent years, especially in 2010, makes the idea of yet one more re-interpretation tiring. But, the Coen brothers are no artistic hacks in any conceivable way. Their films are complete worlds unto themselves yet their singular artistic vision always makes each new film feel like the latest entry into one continuous cinematic experience.

After releasing the Oscar winning “No Country For Old Men” (2007), “Burn After Reading” (2008) and “A Serious Man” (2009), their previous three, extremely dark and at times frustratingly uncompromising films, who could blame them for wanting to exhibit a more crowd pleasing film with an established audience. Even so, the Coen brothers have not rested on their creative laurels and have devised a way to re-make a classic while also ensuring it fits snuggly into their oeuvre. By focusing their interpretation less on the original film version starring John Wayne and basing it more completely in the original novel by Charles Portis (which I am now very interested in reading), the Coen brothers have structured a film that functions at the same level as all of their previous films. “True Grit” is another examination and celebration of the majesty of language.

Please take a moment and think back to any of the films created by Joel and Ethan Coen. Please ponder films like “Miller’s Crossing” (1990). Or “Barton Fink” (1991). Or how about “Raising Arizona” (1987), “Fargo" (1996), "The Big Lebowski" (1998) or "O Brother, Where Art Thou” (2000). Every single one of their films, from the intricate plotting, impeccable acting, stunning visual style and even the evocative film scores by frequent composer Carter Burwell, all serve the untouchable dialogue, which is always the driving force with their work.

Like Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) and David Fincher’s brilliant “The Social Network” from this year, “True Grit” places language front and center, forcing audiences to pay strict attention to the words being spoken as those words communicate every story nuance and detail even more than the blazing guns and gorgeous visual landscape. What is indeed so special about the language and dialogue of “True Grit” is that the Coen brothers have admittedly utilized a large portion of the words verbatim from the original Portis novel. Portis’ dialogue is a manner of speaking that is now arcane to our 21st century ears, and perhaps it is foreign enough to some that it might as well be Shakespearian. There is an elegance to the placement and diction of the words and this meticulous formality, even with the coarser characters and situations, remains present throughout and is a joy to listen to.

That particular detail is exactly what makes the performance of young Hailee Steinfeld so impressive and mesmerizing as she is able to handle and operate the film’s verbal gymnastics with confidence, understanding, and purposefulness. She employs usages of humor, wit, wryness and forcefulness within the words with effortless ease. This is no kid standing on the screen spouting words she doesn’t understand. Hailee Steinfeld comes off as completely authentic in this world the Coen brothers have presented as she has such command over the language and operates with unquestionable bravery and authority. It is an amazing performance.

Furthermore, the character of Mattie Ross, despite having been originated in a 1968 novel, is an excellent teenaged heroine for modern film audiences. Just in this year, we have had the pleasure of witnessing the bravery and intelligence of characters like Hermione Granger from David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" and Olive Penderghast from Will Gluck's wonderful teen comedy “Easy A” (another film driven by its wonderful language supplied by Bert V. Royal) and again the insipid, selfish, eternally mopey Bella Swan does not deserve their illustrious company.

Matt Damon and Josh Brolin provide their typical rock solid work within their roles, again showcasing why they are two of our most versatile and dependable actors. And yes, Jeff Bridges as the irascible, one-eyed, corpulent Rooster Cogburn is outstanding. Bridges once again demonstrates why he is one of the best in the business by giving a performance that feels completely lived in and deeply layered.

Yet, if I did have one quibble with "True Grit” and maybe with Bridges in particular, is that perhaps his performance was a tad too lived in as the glorious language spews forth from his mouth in a guttural garbled morass that is, at times, difficult to understand and I sometimes wished that I had a subtitle feature switch to click. He often reminded me of Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes”(2009) where he was inebriated as well as half-mad, making his amazing dialogue came forth in an speed rap rush which was also filtered through a British accent at that.

Then again, both Damon and Brolin are also found in situations in “True Grit” where they deliver oodles of dialogue as they are verbally compromised as well. Was this was an intentional quality set in motion by the Coen brothers? What if the patterns of speech are garbled simply to belie the intelligence and artfulness underneath the deep character flaws? Have the flaws beaten down the elegance, virtue and “true grit” beneath the rough, questionable veneer and the impediments of speech can purposefully cloud the language? Intentional or not, it was difficult here and there and I just wished the words could be more easily understood at times.

But, hey, that's an extremely minimal criticism for a movie that has been mounted so handsomely. Has the excellence of "True Grit" cured my aversion to the Western. Maybe not. But, I do have this Western, presented under the filmmaking brilliance of the Coen brothers. A Western I am already extremely eager to return to.