True Grit

Reviewed by Steve Kochems

IGN.com claims that this film was “the best Western since Unforgiven” (as if I needed anymore hype to see a Coen movie…). That’s a bold statement, to put a film on par with one as deeply rooted in a genre as Unforgiven, let alone the Western genre that is rich with history. But after seeing the new film by Joel and Ethan Coen, I’d be inclined to agree with IGN. Not only that, if Unforgiven is the last Western, as many have called it, then True Grit might just be the rebirth of the Western.

Unlike the 1969 John Wayne classic, the remake follows the journey of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a 14 year-old girl who seeks to avenge her father’s death by enlisting the help of the drunken gun-slinging U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Rather than making the focal point about Rooster as a fatherly figure to young Mattie, the Coen’s let the plot simmer and simply be a fun adventure. We see Mattie, Rooster, and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) grow on this journey together, from a general disliking each has for the other to eventually overcoming bandits and the rugged western terrain, all in pursuit of the murderous Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin).

This will not be a film for everyone, mainly people that despise Western’s, but for the traditional fan of John Ford and other classics this will be a sheer delight. Bridges completely owns the roll from the first moment you hear his voice as Rooster and Damon’s LaBoeuf completes a perfect dichotomy. Holding them together is Steinfeld, who really shines in the film as the persistent Mattie at the helm. She never shows the ravenous side of revenge, but stays calm and clear with her intentions from start to finish. This is the biggest reason why the True Grit stays grounded at a central tone, never venturing too dark, too virtuous, or too comedic. Watching this young girl overtake the man’s world is certainly a delight as she outwits almost every character at one point or another. But perhaps the biggest surprise is Brolin- as Chaney he takes you from smiles to chills in a very short span, though never venturing too far in one direction to shift the film off its base.

I was far from surprised as to how good this film was- I’ve come to expect nothing less from the Coen Brothers, even after my somewhat disappointed view on A Serious Man (okay, not disappointed, perplexed… review coming after a second viewing). What really stood out to me was how good of a Western it works as. The Coen’s have never been filmmakers that try to subscribe to any one genre for a film, but always blending them to tell the best story possible. In this case though, the genre has been deprived for some time of a real classic. I can’t say for sure that this will lead to the rebirth of the Western genre (though Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens looks promising), mostly because Hollywood has never seemed to follow the trends or success of the Coen’s. But if in ten years we are talking about Western’s like we are now about Superhero movies, you can cite me here as the first to claim it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars