Film Review: True Grit

I haven't ever been too familiar with the western genre. I tried to get into The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but it ultimately didn't rub off on me. It didn't have as well a pace as it should've, and as it started its final half-hour I just didn't care enough. I haven't seen any of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood's old classics. The only western I ever really enjoyed was the 3:10 to Yuma remake which was released a few years back. It didn't have nearly as much visual flair as the others, but it kept a consistent pace and had two fantastic performances from Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Joel & Ethan Coen's No Country For Old Men is often considered a western, but in comparison to their adaptation of True Grit, it's far too modern.

Which brings us to the latest film from the brothers Coen, and I can tell you that it is a true classic American western. True Grit follows Mattie Ross, a young girl whose father is killed by a coward named Tom Cheney. After refusing to head home with her father's corpse, she instead hires a local U.S. Marshall by the name of Rooster Cogburn to go after Cheney in hopes of retribution. Joining their alliance is a rather full of himself Texas Ranger named La Beouf, and they begrudgingly head after the gang that Cheney is a part of. It's a rather typical story for a western, but I don't remember it being told as convincingly as it is here.

When the trailers were released for this film, I had my doubts and worries about whether it be mainstream for them to inject their specific feeling into it. I love most of the Coen's films because they don't decide to go by regular cinematic rules. However, there is a faint signature that Joel and Ethan leave on this film. The scenes run on as long as they please, but it's never too apparent to the audience. By the end, it is clear who made the film, because the themes they work with are very much present. The theme they play around with the most in their films is that life pretty much sucks, but this film is probably the most optimistic they've ever made. I guess they were in a mood to make a happy film. That is to say that it is happy compared to most of what they've made in the past.

Ultimately, I was surprised by how much I loved this film. Most Coen films grate against me during the first viewing, only for me to later revisit them and find their value. True Grit was a fantastic film upon the first viewing. Roger Deakins turns in his most visually striking work to date, and I'm glad as hell that I postponed my cinematography list until later on. The first shot of the film is beautiful, and probably time consuming to create. From then on, the film was challenged to make up a story and performances that are as captivating as the imagery. As Barney Stinson would say, "Challenge completed!"

Jeff Bridges does a fantastic job in the role of Rooster Cogburn. He's fat and old, and he drinks far more than he should. He's the last man a reasonable human being would choose to go on a man-hunt. He really ignites the dynamic between the main group, but to say that he's the main attraction would be heresy. Hailee Steinfeld is the heart and soul of this film, and she should be more involved in the lead actress race than the supporting one. It's her story that's being told, and she has far more grit than any other character onscreen. She's not going to step aside based on the sole fact that she's a girl, and she's not going to let any man take advantage of her neither.

Matt Damon hasn't really had a good year, with both Green Zone and Hereafter missing their marks. I hope this is the film that people remember most when looking over his work this year. His performance as La Beouf ranges from stubborn, to metro-sexual, to a respectful human being. Finally, and least of all because he has so little screen time is Josh Brolin as Tom Cheney. He's hardly the main man of the gang he belongs to, and he certainly is a lowly coward. He's terrifying at some points, and it occasionally feels like we're an edge away from losing a beloved character. That's how effective Brolin is with the short time he's afforded.

True Grit wasn't a western that really depended on the action sequences, because it gained most of its effect from the quieter sequences, as is the way with most great films. A lot of time is spent with the characters wandering almost aimlessly through the wilderness, but it's done in more of a fast pace, in contrast to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which often used deathly silence to create the mood of the adventure. However, when the action starts, Carter Burwell's relatively light and courageous score lets you know. It's not your typical western, and the Joel & Ethan Coen give the film a flavor entirely its own. I'd like to think that this is a game changer, but even I know not to hope that high. I'm still glad that I decided to see True Grit before this year was over.

A+