I've taken some flack for my opinion on The Coen Brothers' latest, True Grit. A remake of sorts of the 1969 classic, which featured John Wayne's one and only Oscar win as the grizzled shootist, Rooster Cogburn. The criticism doesn't come from the idea that I dislike the film. Quite the contrary. The Coen Brothers are master storytellers, and we've seen them use their gifts before in a sort of modern day western recently in No Country for Old Men. My contention is that this version of True Grit, which features dazzlingly real performances by Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, is superior to the original in every way.
The old west has never felt more tenuous, more dangerous. A murder has been committed, which in and of itself isn't that odd of an occurrance. The victim's daughter, the headstrong and uncannily smart Mattie Ross(Steinfeld) is determined to stop at nothing to find her father's killer. She knows exactly who he is, the violent drifter Tom Chaney(Josh Brolin). In order to make sure justice is served, she seeks out the toughest man in town to help her track Chaney down. That man is the hardened US Marshall, Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn(Bridges), none too thrilled at having this pushy little distracting him from his favorite pastime, hard liquor. After some haggling, the two set out on their quest.
The prospects for an old warhorse like Cogburn and an innocent girl to find to locate criminal used to being the target of manhunts is pretty slim. The journey will take them deep into Indian country where all bets are off. What few rules there are don't really apply. They'll need help, and they get it in the form of LaBeouf(Damon), a Texas Ranger who's been hunting Chaney from state-to-state.
It's in this oddball threesome that True Grit gets most of it's humor. Comedy in the midst of such a dangerous, exhausting journey might seem out of place, but dark humor creeps in at the oddest of times. A dead body swinging from a tree forces Mattie to make an impromptu tree climbing exercise. LaBeouf and Cogburn seem to be in a perpetual state of disagreement, especially in regards to Cogburn's heavy drinking. LaBeouf is cocky and competitive, while Cogburn has seen it all and is perhaps a little blind of his deteriorating skills. The verbal gunfights between these three are the heart of the entire story.
Fresh from his Yoda/ Zen Master deal in Tron Legacy, Jeff Bridges does a complete 180 as the grizzled veteran officer. He and Damon are like lightning together on screen, two actors at the top of their games. They'll get much of the praise and acclaim, but the real find here is Hailee Steinfeld. A newcomer with only a couple of minor roles in forgettable films, she goes nose-to-nose with these two acting heavyweights and more than holds her own. Her breakthrough is as dominating and unforgettable as that of Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl. If Hit-Girl and Mattie Ross ever came to blows I'm not convinced Mattie wouldn't outsmart her way to victory. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Diversity is the Coens' defining attribute. They treat screwball comedy with the same respect as dramas as they do westerns. True Grit is completely authentic from the very beginning. Gone is the gloss of the original film, replaced by a...well, grit that can't be denied. True Grit might seem like a throwaway film when compared to the Coens' extensive and varied filmography, but due to it's blend of comedy, action, and heart, this ranks right up there as one of their best.
