“You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free, except the grace of God.”
There aren’t too many movies made anymore that excite me into must-see mode. But since I’m someone who thinks that teaming the Coen brothers (directors and screenplay writers) with Steven Spielberg (as an executive producer) is kind of a can’t-miss combo for a flick, “True Grit” fit into that category for me. This film represented a big departure for the Coen brothers based on their previous projects, but it was certainly refreshing to see what they are capable of in a new genre.
Though John Wayne starred in an earlier version of this film in 1969, the Coen Brothers were quick to point out that their adaption was based much more on the 1968 novel by Charles Portis than any previous cinematic interpretation.
As documented anywhere you turn and in any review of this movie, the girl, Hailee Steinfeld (as Mattie Ross) is positively amazing. Only 13 years old at the time of filming, she was a rookie chosen from 15,000 applicants for the role, and anyone involved with the flick knew an awful lot hinged on a child newcomer.
“We were aware if the kid doesn’t work, there’s no movie,” Ethan Coen told the New York Times.
Steinfeld’s repartee with Jeff Bridges’s character played a huge role in making this movie work; the idea of having him unwittingly share his life story with the girl during the pursuit was a brilliant technique. And I have no problem admitting that Bridges is one of my favorite actors, so I loved his turn as “Rooster” Cogburn. In this flick, He Who Will Always Be Lebowski to Me is reincarnated as a drunkard mercenary marshall -- so not a huge departure for Bridges. And further to the “Lebowski” tie-ins, the shooting-the-cornbread scene reminded me of the “Lebowski” scene where the Dude drops a roach in his lap, freaks out and crashes into a Dumpster.
It was hard to understand Bridges at times, but I also think that was kinda the point. Most of us are drawn to story arcs that involve a hard-shelled, past-his-prime gruffster opening up some in one last outburst of brilliance, that final hurrah ... and Bridges played that to a tee.
“I’m a foolish old man who’s been drawn in to a wild goose chase by a harpie in trousers and a nincompoop.”
The cast was rounded out with career-resurgent Josh Brolin as villain Tom Chaney and clownish Matt Damon as awkward Texas Ranger LaBouef, as well as a quick (though jarring) appearance by Dakin Matthews, who is best known as Doug Heffernan’s Dad on “King of Queens.” To be honest, I was unaware that Damon was in the flick, and while I’m not a big fan of his work, he did serve a bit as comedic relief (“I am severely injured.”).
“True Grit” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards but came away with none; however, it was tabbed as the American Film Institute’s Movie of the Year, and Steinfeld absolutely cleaned up with a host of other wins. From a visual perspective, the stark beauty of the environment essentially serves as another character, while the whites and grays are startling in their ability to capture the mood of the film.
Though humorous at times, it was an intense film (the scene with the rattler pit was shit-your-pants terrifying), and also managed to be subtly emotional throughout. I couldn’t help thinking that the Coen brothers’ well-rounded directorial background made them uniquely qualified to pull off so many disparate emotional elements under the guise of the “just a Western genre.” The result is a memorable flick that only furthered the legend of the Coen brothers and Bridges ... while perhaps launching one in the powerfully understated Steinfeld.
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