Yep. It's me again.
I have not seen the original movie with John Wayne, nor have I read the book. Shame on me. I know. But knowing the Coen Brothers, I went in assuming that it would have their brand while still doing justice to the original concept. I suppoe they did that. I enjoyed this movie. I do have but a few things to discuss though, as usual. You know, when I'm not ignoring this blog.
The problem with having not seen the original film is that there is nothing to compare this too. I went in blind. All I saw in this trailer was Jeff Bridges = badass, Matt Damon = huh, this could be cool too; Hailee Steinfeld = I don't know you but you've already impressed me; Josh Brolin = Bran from The Goonies (jus kiddin); Coen Brothers = sold. Plus I'm a freaking nerd boy for western movies. It's a place I was very interested in seeing the Coens go.
The plot, which I suppose is kind of a classic story by now, revolves around the adventure of 14-year old Mattie Ross (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) to capture her father's killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), dead or alive. Helping her in this mission is the aged and lethal US Marshall "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and cocky but underestimated Texas Ranger LaBouef (Matt Damon) as they set out across the terrain to find their man. Along the way they encounter nature's torments as well as some of the worst of the worst outlaws the old west has to offer. Mix in the Coen Brothers' mastery of dialogue, violence, and storytelling, along with some very enjoyable quirkiness from Jeff "The Dude" Bridges, and you have yourself one damn fine movie.
Tonally, this movie feels more realistic than most westerns. I know I have no way of knowing, but it just all feels plausible. They even have former outlaws Cole Younger and Frank James (not really them, of course) near the end, shown being chastised by an older Mattie whilst they profit from their wild west shows. There are particularly interesting scenes of complete clarity of speech and activity, such as young Mattie's negotiations with a lawyer, Rooster's cross examination in court, and of course the very well choreographed gunfights. As much as we love it, this is not The Outlaw Josey Wales go up against ten guys straight forward and win unscathed.
But in another way, it holds true to everything we love about westerns. Loud and intense shootouts with aged revolvers and top quality repeater rifles. Droll and/or weird characters that stick with us even after the movie. Beautiful photography of the great terrain of the time when their were large trees and more land. Roger Deakins is probably one of the best cinematographers, and I can see why the Coen Brothers keep using him; he's been with them since their first movie. This film is full of true blue western images, maybe moreso than other westerns.
It touches on something that is sometimes overlooked in, but always interesting in, westerns which is the innocence of children in a time like that. Mattie Ross acts older than she should and is competent and brave even under very nerveracking situations, but she also shows instances of being a kid that are real. For as cold and professional she tries to be, she does tend to see a light in people who have little of it or none at all (even her father's killer it seemed). I felt that was interesting. I read that the book was largely from Mattie's point of view, and the Coens wanted to capture that. I think they did well.
Now for the acting. I will go right into Jeff Bridges' much anticipated and now praised performance of Rooster Cogburn, iconically played by John Wayne in the past. All I heard for so long was that Bridges would not outdo Wayne. The Dude would never beat The Duke. Well, guess what? Maybe I can't compare, but people who've seen both can and most who I have talked to have said that Bridges beats John Wayne in this department. I have seen bits and pieces of the original True Grit and it looks good enough. Wayne seems good in it but from what I saw he's not really playing THIS character so much as he's playing John Wayne (not a bad thing). Bridges is definitely not playing himself, at least not totally. Bridges' Rooster is a ragged, dirty, gravelly voiced body of experience, death, decay, yet still some nobility and decency. Bridges has so much presence that he makes something wholly original out of the character. Something many have agreed with is that Rooster seems to have a stench just by looking at him. He's also a total badass, as we all knew. Matt Damon is interesting as LaBeouf, we get the feeling he is a shady guy with his own agenda at first, but as we know him more we quickly find out he's a smart man who wants to be taken seriously and is anxious when he isn't. Hailee Steinfeld deserves her Oscar nomination for her amazing first major performance. To share the screen with Bridges and Damon and dominate along side them is quite impressive. The way she carries herself and the subtext the writing that she adds to is something to be fascinated with. In many ways she is the best character in this movie. Josh Brolin in the small role of Tom Chaney was funny and intimidating. I love how astonished and then amused he is in his first appearance. Brolin is a very good actor, I'm glad he's getting work these days. He makes Chaney a truly vile thing. But the bad guy who beats out Brolin is Lucky Ned Pepper, played by Barry Pepper of course. This ragged, wild eyed, yellow teethed renegade is a far cry from Barry Pepper's actual chisled good looks, so this transformation is cool. Plus he just makes this character somehow endearing, because for as vicious and nasty he is, Lucky Ned can still be a civil gentleman. So acting is top notch, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The direction is marvelous. Joel and Ethan Coen are master filmmakers and I doubt I will ever say otherwise. Their editing, their writing, their casting, their photography, their overall style is all perfect. There are very few bad things I can say about this movie. A lot of people have said that they weren't trying to make "True Grit: A Coen Brothers film" but they were just trying to make "True Grit: A Western." I'd agree. You can see the tweaks and touches of their style or humor in the story, but really it felt pure and unbound by a brand, at least not a brand as broad as western. That's okay, because I get the feeling that if this was a Coen Brothers movie it might be one of their lesser ones like Burn After Reading. Still good, just not quite as good. This is a western and they understood that and liked that.
Since this review is pretty damn late on my account, I would say that you should definitely watch this movie when it hits the market. It is fun, interesting, funny, and breathtaking in many ways. At times it may seem slow and it won't thrill you through and through, but it is enjoyable. I definitely liked it so, like I sometimes say, if you like what I like you will probably dig this film. Watching it for Jeff Bridges alone is good enough, I think. So yeah, six out of five stars.
This has been the review I said I'd post months ago, but here we are with Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
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