Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 14, 2011
The Critic's Corner
“True Grit”
David Laprad
When it comes to Joel and Ethan Coen, brothers who have been making movies together since the ‘80s, I always go in expecting to see something at least a little off center. Even when they’ve connected with a mass audience, as they did with “Fargo,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “No Country for Old Men,” their attraction to eccentric characters, dark humor and irony remain intact.
But with “True Grit,” they’ve told a simple story, and told it well. Fortunately, the meat-and-potatoes nature of the movie didn’t diminish their typically razor sharp dialogue and stellar character work.
The new “True Grit” isn’t a remake of the 1969 Western for which John Wayne won an Oscar. Rather, it closely follows the Charles Portis novel, first published in 1968. It’s narrated by Mattie Ross, a grown woman who recounts the story of her father’s murder in 1877, when she was 14, and her pursuit of the man who pulled the trigger, Tom Chaney. While collecting her father’s body, Mattie hires a U.S. Marshal named Rooster Cogburn, played by Wayne in the original and Jeff Bridges in the new version, to track Chaney down.
Meanwhile, a Texas Ranger named LaBeouf (pronounced “la beef,” as in, “Where’s la beef?”) arrives in search of Chaney. LeBeouf has been pursuing Chaney for several months over a murder in the Lone Star State, and suggests he and Mattie team up with Cogburn, as the marshal knows the terrain where Chaney will be hiding and he knows how the man behaves. Mattie rejects the offer because she knows LeBeouf will likely take Chaney back to Texas to be hanged for the other murder, and she wants him to be punished for the slaying of her father.
Cogburn and LaBeouf join forces and try to give Mattie the slip. However, she catches up with them and insists they allow her to travel with them. I’m sure you can understand how two lawmen seasoned by the harsh western landscape would be reluctant to allow a young girl to tag along, but their resolve is no match for Mattie’s.
I don’t have to describe what happens next because, if you’ve ever seen a Western, then you know. However, in the hands of the Coen brothers, the journey is not about where these characters are going, but how they get there. From the acting, to the directing, to the cinematography, to the music, “True Grit” was made with tender sensitivity to the genre and profound love for the classic movie aesthetic.
While Wayne jumps to mind when thinking about the original “True Grit,” the new version centers more on Mattie, and the actress who played her, Hailee Steinfeld, is a pleasure to watch. Her command of the dialogue is impressive, as is her embodiment of the four-square Presbyterian ethic from which the people of what day were carved, but she’s unlike any girl I ever imagined living in late 19th century America.
I’ll put it like this: if you were to find yourself striking a deal with Mattie, you’d save a lot of time by simply giving her what she wants. A businessman with whom she trades learns this the hard way. Mattie has a comeback loaded and ready to fire for everything he says, and doesn’t quit negotiating with him until he’s agreed to meet all of her demands.
The biggest laugh in “True Grit” comes as he’s paying Mattie for her father’s ponies, which she claims he now owns. She says she needs a good horse and would be willing to buy one back – for far less than he just paid her. The man begins to shake and says, “Wait a minute. Are we trading again?”
I also enjoyed watching Bridges, though I doubt it was a stretch for him to play a one-eyed, gravely voiced, hard drinking U.S. Marshal. There’s nothing in the role that requires the extraordinary range and depth Bridges displayed in “Crazy Heart,” but he still creates a memorable character. I also believe his Cogburn is closer to what Portis intended.
My editor, Bill Ellis, insightfully said Wayne had a public image to uphold, so he didn’t take on the less appealing aspects of Cogburn’s personality. Thankfully, Bridges has no such hang-ups and, as he does with every role, goes all in.
Since I’m running out of space, I’ll wrap up my review of “True Grit” by urging you to see it in a theater. The movie’s harsh, chilling landscapes should be seen on a big screen, and I believe most viewers would enjoy being wrapped up in Carter Burwell’s warm but haunting score.
The latter is largely based on an old hymn titled “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” No one writes songs like that anymore, and not many people are making movies like “True Grit.” I’m glad the Coen brothers did.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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