"True Grit" review by Ben Kenber

Watching the Coen Brothers’ version of “True Grit,” it suddenly occurred to me that I read the book back in my sophomore year of high school. Can’t believe I forgot all about that. Usually I remember every book that was assigned to me whether it was good or positively sucked. From “To Kill A Mockingbird” to… Ok, enough of that. Watching this take on the Charles Portis book brought it all back, including the fact that Mattie didn’t cry over her father’s dead body. She was like,

“Put a lid on it.”

Damn! She seemed cold as ice, hell bent on pursuing her father’s killer no matter what. But she is also a human being endowed with an undying sense of purpose, determined to find fairness in a world that seems devoid of it. Now everyone remembers Rooster Cogburn more than any other character in “True Grit” because John “The Duke” Wayne portrayed him in the 1969 movie (which won him his only Oscar). But the novel is really all about Mattie Ross, not the easiest person to get along with, but hard not to admire. It’s her story more than it ever was Cogburn’s, and the Coen brothers understand this completely.

Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin may have top billing, but the weight of “True Grit” rests on the soft shoulders of 14-year old newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. Her astonishing performance brings Mattie Ross right off the written pages of Portis’ book and to vivid life. That was not the case when Kim Darby portrayed her opposite The Duke in 1969. Our sophomore English class watched some but not all of the original, and once we saw her cry in a way Mattie Ross never would have, we knew that one liberty too many was taken with the source material. I guess having a character appear stronger willed than one played by John Wayne seemed unthinkable at the time. I don’t want to take away from Darby though as she later gave a truly unforgettable performance as John Cusack’s hopelessly bizarre mother in “Better Off Dead.”

But seriously, Hailee is a revelation here as Mattie, and the movie would have completely failed were she not as fantastic as she is here. Seeing her stroll into the town with her no-nonsense attitude and wise beyond her years, she sells the character perfectly and has us eager to follow her every step as she pursues Tom Chaney before he escapes the hand of justice for good. Her eyes show a willful determination that I never doubted from the start, and any sadness she shows is somehow restrained. Hailee takes a character that is not altogether likable and makes her one of the most compelling characters I have seen in any film this year. She doesn’t so much play the character as much as she inhabits the role. Now how many other 14-year old actors can pull off a performance like that?

As the story goes, Mattie ends up trying to procure the services of Rooster Cogburn because she believes that he possesses “true grit,” someone who has courage, fearlessness, and guts. As played by Jeff “The Dude” Bridges, making the 2010 holiday season his with this and “Tron: Legacy,” Rooster is a drunken lout who never appears to be fit for his line of work, but his sense of duty does manage to keep him sane in an increasingly violent world. The relationship he has with Mattie is not one based on kindness, and he as soon as leave her in the dust than bring her along. But something about Mattie’s dogged determination, illustrated by her riding her horse across a river while keeping her head above water, wins the whiskey loving Marshall over.

I’m not going to bother comparing The Duke and The Dude because frankly I don’t have the energy. John Wayne made his mark in one film after another, and Jeff Bridges’ performance works in that he never tries to outdo what Wayne did. Like any smart actor, he simply makes the character his own. His Rooster Cogburn threatens to be every bit as inebriated as Val Kilmer was when he played Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.” From the start, I was almost afraid that Bridges might turn the character into a parody of sorts, perhaps rely too much on his “Big Lebowski” performance to get him through the day. But that never was the case nor should I ever have suspected it to be. Jeff remains as always one of the best actors we have, and his Rooster Cogburn is a wonderfully complex character who, despite his grungy appearance, still knows the Indian territory like the back of his hand.

Also along for the ride in “True Grit” is Matt Damon, and it’s beginning to feel like he is in every other movie being released today. As much as I like Damon, I was afraid he might stick out like a sore thumb as Texas Ranger LaBeouf. But he makes his character a wonderfully engaging one even as he keeps coming and going throughout the story. Seeing LaBeouf get his ass handed to him by Mattie Ross is a major highlight, only if to see the shocked expression on Damon’s face when he realizes he truly got suckered by a 14-year old.

Josh Brolin, who previously worked with the Coens in “No Country For Old Men,” has better luck here with the western genre than he did with “Jonah Hex.” He makes Tom Chaney not just a simple one-dimensional villain as his crime was motivated more out of jealousy and fear more than anything else. Even he can’t completely intimidate Mattie, and that’s not just because she has the law on her side. She has the strong resolve and moral fortitude he seriously lacks, and his life has lost its sense of purpose. Brolin manages to convey all this in the limited time he has onscreen.

Another guy I was happy to see here, as he fits perfectly into any western he’s ever done, is Barry Pepper. As “Lucky” Ned Pepper (no relation I’m sure), he gives us a nasty outlaw that is far from the ones that were overly glamorized or exploited. “Lucky” Ned is a vicious guy who will not allow anyone to undo his authority anymore than he appears willing to brush his teeth; man they look hideous! Another sign I need to make a dentist appointment in this lifetime. Having survived “Saving Private Ryan” (in a matter of speaking) and “Battlefield Earth” (that’s saying a lot), Pepper is starting to look more and more like one of our most underrated actors. He always seems to be coming in just right under the radar.

The main difference between the 2010 and 1969 movies is in the wild, wild west is portrayed. The 1969 movie was more about watching John Wayne blow away the bad guy just as he did in every movie before and after it (even the one where he played Genghis Khan). But the 2010 version portrays the world it inhabits much more realistically, treating violence as a brutal and very vicious thing. This one is more akin to “Unforgiven” than to “Rio Bravo.” Violence is a way of life for all these characters, and it defines the way they see the world around them. We also see how it affects their souls as the specter of death hangs over their every move. There’s no attempt to sweeten up the narrative or make it the action shoot ‘em up western many of us grew up watching. Any attempt to make that kind of a film in recent years has ended up looking profoundly stupid (“Texas Rangers” anyone?).

Still, Joel & Ethan Coen have succeeded in making one of their most accessible movies to date for the mainstream audiences of today. They also managed to do it without compromising themselves as artists, as this film sees them getting the widest audience they ever had before. They continue to employ their regular collaborators who never fail them like cinematographer Roger Deakins, editor Roderick Jaynes, and their longtime film composer Carter Burwell who contributes another in a long line of great movie scores for these two.

If there was any problem I had with this “True Grit,” it was in the way it ended. We see one character many years later in their life, and the effect is disorienting. It was the same thing that happened at the start and the end of Frank Darabont’s “The Green Mile,” and it just took me out of the moment. The effect wasn’t too bad in this one, but I was hoping to see the actor who played said character get more of a proper send off.

Remaking a movie like “True Grit” seems like the last thing they would ever do, but I believe them when they say they never saw this as a remake. They stayed very true to the source material and even made the language Charles Portis scribbled down seem very much alive and sharp witted. Whether or not you value John Wayne’s take on Rooster more than this one, you have to give the Coens credit for staying true to a book written back in 1968.

Oscar will surely be bestowing nominations on this picture, but here’s hoping that Hailee Steinfeld gets one as well. She should be considered for Best Actress, but with all the stars being billed over her, the Academy will just relegate her to the Supporting Actress category.

That’ll be the day!

***½ out of ****