2010, 15, Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
The first thing you should know about the Coen Brothers latest is that this is not a remake of John Wayne’s 1969 classic of the same name (for which he won his only Oscar), but an adaptation of the Charles Portis novel. You should also know that The Duke’s role has been filled by the sure shoes of one of the finest actors around today: The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. On usual fine form as bedraggled marshal Rooster Cogburn, he is Crazy Heart’s wheezy Bad Blake with an eye-patch. The story for those who aren’t familiar is based around 14-year-old Mattie Ross who requests the help of Cogburn to track down John Chaney, the man responsible for her father’s death. The rest is cinematic magic of the purest form, sprinkled with a dash of Coen. What is striking about True Grit is not only Roger Deakins’ dazzling cinematography, resulting in your eyes stretching to the furthest stretch of the surrounding Arkansas enclosure, but the fact that this is somewhat lacking in Coen-esque traits; that’s not to say their famous flair does not present itself – their script is consumed with deliciously-delivered dialogue and characterisation fresh from their universe (look no further than an early scene involving Mattie and a lawyer – it is like a Western version of a scene from Fargo), and there are visual elements which are unmistakeably their work (three words: bear on horseback).
The fact that Ethan and Joel could mould their source material so seamlessly speaks volumes about their abilities as filmmakers, officially part of the elite. If No Country for Old Men was their revisionist homage to the Western genre that rarely circulates these days, True Grit is a picture in which homage’s will be made, seriously standing shoulder to shoulder with some of those classic Wayne films. The casting is near perfect, with Bridges’ nonchalant drawl and Matt Damon’s Texas Ranger LaBeouf convincing and impressing – but it is Hailee Steinfeld’s debut that takes things to the next level and blows away anything in sight. It is hard to recall a child performance so pitch-perfect, and the fact that she was notched into the Best Supporting Actress category by the Academy is an injustice to her beautiful work here. The last thing you should know about True Grit is that it is true class. It seems the Coen Brothers are unstoppable. But really, who would want to stop them?
The fact that Ethan and Joel could mould their source material so seamlessly speaks volumes about their abilities as filmmakers, officially part of the elite. If No Country for Old Men was their revisionist homage to the Western genre that rarely circulates these days, True Grit is a picture in which homage’s will be made, seriously standing shoulder to shoulder with some of those classic Wayne films. The casting is near perfect, with Bridges’ nonchalant drawl and Matt Damon’s Texas Ranger LaBeouf convincing and impressing – but it is Hailee Steinfeld’s debut that takes things to the next level and blows away anything in sight. It is hard to recall a child performance so pitch-perfect, and the fact that she was notched into the Best Supporting Actress category by the Academy is an injustice to her beautiful work here. The last thing you should know about True Grit is that it is true class. It seems the Coen Brothers are unstoppable. But really, who would want to stop them?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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