First of all, I haven’t seen a movie in theaters since May, which is crazy considering how many I’ve seen in past years. Amazing what having a baby and moving does to your movie schedule. Secondly, Meg was staying with her grandparents this weekend, giving us extra time to go see something. There aren’t many movies out this time of year that interest both Brooke and I, but thankfully, “True Grit” was one such movie.
The Coen Brothers have made quite a few movies over the years, and in general, I don’t tend to like them. “Fargo” and “Burn After Reading” are, perhaps, the only two of theirs that I’ve seen that I enjoyed (“O Brother Where Are Thou” was alright too, I guess). In general, I think their movies involve useless, unfunny dialog and their plots don’t involve much of an ending or resolution. With that all in mind, I tell you that “True Grit” was a truly excellent movie, with a great script, great acting, and a wonderful story. It’s amazing that the Coen Brothers could pull something like this off, but it’s probably only because they stayed close to the source material and didn’t have to do much writing of their own.
“True Grit,” starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld, centers upon Steinfeld’s character, Mattie, whose father was murdered by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). She seeks revenge, and contracts with Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Bridges), a U.S. Marshall that drinks too much and is known for killing criminals in self-defense (i.e. he chases after them, catches them, and they don’t ever end up in front of a judge). Matt Damon plays LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger that is also chasing after Chaney for killing a Senator. The movie deals with these three interacting out on the open range of Arkansas, frequently causing strains between each individual.
The story is very much a western, involving many of the typical trappings including a hanging, duels, chasing the enemy into “Indian country,” and so on. The imagery of the American West is breathtaking, and makes me want to go backpacking as soon as I can. Brooke took a class in college titled “The Western Film,” so she watched quite a few classic westerns and she thought this iteration of “True Grit” held true to the ideals put forward in previous movies. “True Grit” will probably go down as one of the best westerns of the early-21st century (which isn’t saying much, ’cause there aren’t that many being made, which is a shame).
It should also be said that Hailee Steinfeld was unbelievable in this movie. She’s a 14-year-old, playing a 14-year-old, and she’s a better actress than most people two or three times her age. A truly remarkable performance from a girl whose career is surely only taking off. Don’t get me wrong, Matt Damon was barely recognizable with his facial hair and George W. Bush-style accent (and that’s a good thing…he really stepped outside his typical roles with this one), and Jeff Bridges was speaking with a drunken slur such that I believed this is how he talks in real life. But Steinfeld stole the show from both these old-timers.
I have never seen the original “True Grit,” starring John Wayne. It is my understanding that this current iteration is a more accurate representation of the novel, but we’ll see what the differences are when it comes through Netflix…eventually… Regardless, this is an excellent movie and I highly recommend it. By far the best thing the Coen Brothers have ever done.