True Grit

Joel and Ethan Coen have been on a hot streak. The filmmaker brothers are among the most original and adept directors, screenwriters, and producers working today. Their films range from dark and cruel to hilarious absurdity, frequently even from scene to scene. The Coens are at their most creative when they are deconstructing the various archetypes of different film genres. The Big Lebowski poked fun at film noir, No Country For Old Men radically reshaped the Western, Burn After Reading is a romp through spy movie stereotypes. In each of these films, the story and dialogue is shaped in such a way to simultaneously pay homage to the genre, while at the same time clearly distinguishing itself as a separate entity. All of this is part of what makes their latest effort so intriguing.

True Grit is a remake of a 1969 John Wayne movie by the same name. Both were adapted from an outstanding Charles Portis novel. While the 1969 version was slightly romanticized, the basic outline remains the same. A 14-year old girl named Mattie Ross embarks on a mission to bring her father's murderer to justice. To that end she hires Rueben "Rooster" Cogburn, a US Marshal. Along the way Cogburn and Ross hook up with a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf who has been tracking the killer for some time due to earlier crimes.

Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld

The cast is impressive. Matt Damon takes on the role of LaBoeuf, bringing infinitely more talent and ability to the part than his 1969 counterpart Glen Campbell. Josh Brolin as the killer Chaney and Barry Pepper as the gang leader Chaney falls in with are appropriately ominous as the two leading villains. The supremely talented Jeff Bridges takes over the John Wayne role of Rooster and makes it his own. Bridges and Damon provide much of the levity in their relationship and banter and Bridges deftly maneuvers around any comparisons to Wayne's Oscar winning turn in the original, avoiding the Dude vs. Duke arguments. It is clear that Bridges knows what is expected of him, and his experience with the Coens shines through.

I have left someone out however. The true star of this movie is the 14-year old Mattie Ross. Making her film debut here, Hailee Steinfeld owns the character and is justly receiving the lion's share of the critical praise. Her toughness, intelligence, and yes, grit drive the plot. Steinfeld (who was 13 during shooting), despite being paired for most of the movie with two of the biggest stars, and most talented actors working today in Bridges and Damon, does not give an inch.

Steinfeld and Barry Pepper

As with all Coen Brothers movies, the technical aspects of the film are pitch perfect. Long time collaborator Roger Deakins handles the camera work and creates some starkly beautiful images. The dialogue clearly has the Coen brothers touch, but it is vastly lighter here. This film does not mix and match genre stereotypes, critiquing them as they go. Instead is a straightforward revenge tale, firmly set as a Western. Cogburn is a gruff old drunkard looking for redemption and seems to walk straight out of the pages of the Portis novel. LaBoeuf is the young and inexperienced, and yet brave man trying to play the hero, but unsure of what that entails. Only Ross transcends genre boundaries, and even she only does so to limits.

True Grit is a movie that defies a traditional explanation. It appears to simply be a very well made Western, but considering who made it, there is a unique feel to it all the same. A good Western is a very rare thing these days, and the Coens seem to want to rectify that. For at least one film, they have done so.

26/30

Welcome and links

To my good friend and colleague Ben, I'm glad to have you as a co-author here on Routinely Average. Ben and I differ on some subjects and agree on some subjects, but we always come at it from different perspectives, so I really think he can bring a lot to this blog. Of course Ben actually works with cameras and knows infinitely more about the technical side of making movies than I do.

One pair of movie makers that Ben and I both enjoy tremendously are the enigmatic Coen brothers. The Coen's dry wit and detached cynicism is combined with some really terrific technical abilities to make some of the most interesting and unusual films of the last 30 years. The Coens never do a remake and never make an unoriginal movie. That is why their upcoming film seems to be completely out of character for them. Joel and Ethan are remaking the 1969 Henry Hathaway classic, "True Grit".

Now, the 1969 version is a wonderful old western starring the all-american cowboy John Wayne (in his only Oscar winning role) as an old worn out marshal named Rooster Cogburn, tracking down a killer with some eclectic companions. While I do enjoy a good western, and Wayne in certain doses, this movie seems out of place for the Coens. That being said, this might be the movie I am most excited for in 2010. I think the Coens will create one of the most unique westerns in years, and potentially revitalize the genre. To help them do this they have assembled an enormous cast including a Coen bros favorite in Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and now, according to the buzz, Berry Pepper. Who else is ready for the Dude to take a crack at one of the Western genre's most iconic roles?

And some links

1. The Barry Pepper, "True Grit" article.

2. Fresh off of winning an Oscar for "The Hurt Locker", Kathryn Bigelow appears to be assembling a monster cast for her next movie.

3. Chris Evans is officially going to be Captain America in the upcoming Marvel movie.

4. Studio Briefing compiles several reviews on "Clash of the Titans".