4 1/2 Popcorn Kernels out of 5
This is the first time I have given a 1/2 Kernel on a movie - usually I am more precise in my ratings, but even though I have seen a few great western/type movies (3:10 to Yuma, The Quick and the Dead, The Book of Eli...and the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens), I have not been a real fan of the western...until now. This review may have been perfect, except for the fact that many of the westerns I have mentioned were remakes, and I have never seen their original nor the pleasure of a real old-fashioned western; the dust, dirt, rural surroundings never appealed to me, and I always wondered just how many stories can you pull out of a town that hasn't even come into its own story yet. So I really have nothing to compare this film with, nor do I consider myself an expert on what makes a good western; but I do know what makes a good movie, and this is it.
True Grit is a very engrossing film, with vibrant characters, ever-changing vistas, quick-witted moments, fast action, and detailed in its look. The Coen Brothers, who directed this, have once again become my favorite story tellers as their style and direction (although not as forced as in other movies) pepper this film throughout. Even before we meet the characters and the plot unfolds, the movie arrives on the wings of a sepia-toned look before it settles into its true colors, and the introduction into the town appears real and not the makings of some studio backlot. I could really imagine people living, working, and travelling through this town in Oklahoma.
At its base, True Grit is about revenge and redemption. What makes this different, is it is the way a 14-year old girl named Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) redeems the death of her father by an outlaw who happened into town one day named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) and killed her father - who at the time was trying to help the man. Mattie Ross takes on the services of the town's Marshal - Marshal Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track down Tom Chaney and kill him. Along the way, a Texas Ranger by the name of LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is in town, also looking for Tom, for shooting and killing a Senator; and this creates the crux of the posse within the tale of True Grit, as they journey together, and deal with each other along their way to kill a man.
The performances in this movie are astonishing. I believe Hailee - the 14-year old in this film, shines the brightest throughout, and it is through her performance that the Coen Brothers are felt and heard in this film. Her dialogue is fast and quick-witted while layered with intellect and a maturity which belies her age. She is determined to find her father's killer; whether she is haggling the cost of his horses with a dealer for more funds, or persuading both Marshal Cogburn and LaBoeuf that she must come along with them to secure the fact that Tom is killed, and knows it is for the crime he committed on her father. It is a very Oscar-Worthy exhibit.
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I am told that John Wayne played the part of the Marshal in the original movie, and Glen Cambell was in the Ranger part. This is NOT a buddy picture, but is does become one of respect. Jeff Bridges plays this drunken Marshal with such ease and such realness, that you can see the years of acting that this man has mastered. He too is a smart man, a sharp-shooter, and understands the criminal mind. We detect that the drinking began as a coping mechanism for him, and as he aged, he had to deal with that pitfall in respect too; but the Marshal's skill although out of practice, is proven to still be there. Matt Damon holds equal weight as the Texas Ranger, and provides most of the levity in this film. He is the young, cool minded, wanderer on this journey. When we first meet him, we are directed first to his boots and the spurs along the heels: this man has been on a horse a very long time, he is dedicated to what he does, and he never loses his focus or his goal. And although he doubts Marshal Cogburn at first - he soon relies on him in many ways unexpected.
When they are at camp one day, Mattie accidentally happens upon her father's killer, Tom Chaney, and when I first saw Josh Brolin in this role, his arrival on screen had me thwarted for a moment. He is a very handsome man (unlike the actor who played him in the original), and it was a momentary distraction despite the blemish placed on his skin to distinguish him. I couldn't see past it to envision a man who lived a hardened life - but just a man who was hard on his luck - and that sympathy becomes a square-peg in a round-hole for the crimes he has committed. But in the company of Mattie it fits, because it draws Mattie in for an instance, and we are put off guard just as she is because he can elicit a bit of empathy from us with his appeal...and then things get all topsy-turvey.
The supporting cast is also great in this film, but that is mainly because the Coen
The violence in this movie is very low-key for a Coen Brothers film - as they manage to avoid the sight of any real bloodshed which would have drawn an R-Rating, but the dangers and death that surround them is very apparent. I did miss the quirkiness as known in their previous films (Fargo and No Country For Old Men), but until then, True Grit still achieves their status as amazing film makers - and I'm good with that.
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