Review of True Grit (2010) by Cameron J — 08 Jun 2014

Sorry, Henry Hathaway, but this right here is the truest of grit, my friend. Oh, hush, you old, annoyingly nostalgic critics, you know that this remake it better, largely because it doesn't have John Wayne playing John Wayne yet again. Mind you, the Coen brothers did modify the Rooster Cogburn character a little bit to better fit Jeff Bridges' acting formula, but hey, that makes things all the better, because after all of the teasing that Sam Elliott did with his cowboy persona in "The Big Lebowski", who doesn't want to see the Dude in the old west? Speaking of stereotypical roles, it seems like Josh Brolin is always being chased in a Coen brothers film, except the big difference here is that fact that Brolin's character actually stands a chance against the people chasing him. I mean, yeah, like I said, the Dude in the old West is awesome, but situations would sour mighty fast if Javier Bardem showed up with a suppressed shotgun and improvised oxygen gun, both of which would be grossly anachronistic here. Yeah, I don't know about the grit, but forget all of that "neo-western" stuff that they were trying to innovate with "No Country for Old Men", because this is a true western, and by extension, the magnum opus for the Coens as far as period piece settings are concerned. Shoot, nevermind that, because this is close to being the Coens' magnum opus altogether, and perhaps it would have been were it not for certain shortcomings.

Leaning a little more towards the tonal structure of "Barton Fink", this film has a humor which ranges from subtle to near-extreme, until punctuated by anything from tension to heavy resonance, and like "Barton Fink", that formula works very well, until fumbled, making tonal shifts which are too great for consistencies sake, no matter how much the film, whether when it's funny or when it's dramatically rich, keeps consistent in great taste that may itself be a touch too tasteful. The Coens, as screenwriters, have been known to get a little too snappy for comfort with their dialogue, and here, with the Coens' extreme faithfulness to formal dialects of the post-Civil War era, that issue stands particularly firm, for its overt, often monotonous formality distances you a bit from the characters' humanity, but is not the only questionable form of faithfulness to conventions. Although this is an interpretation of pre-existing material, one would expect, or at least hope that the Coens, as notorious storytelling innovators, would apply some twists to the classic western adventure narrative, but alas, while they do take on this story with particular inspiration, they don't do much new, hitting more than a few tropes, and not even all that tightly. The film is quite decidedly shorter than its 1969 counterpart, sure, but it still outstays its warm welcome in a lot of places, whether it be dragging out material, and usually merely with dialogue no less, or incorporating filler that ranges from near-pointless set pieces to short-lived and ultimately inconsequential plot points that even shake consistency in the focus of the narrative. If nothing else, the bloating stiffens a sense of pacing, which is further retarded, as one can imagine, by the Coens' continuing to particularly dry up their thoughtful storytelling atmosphere, which hasn't been this lively in some time, but still has cold spells that bland things up often, and sometimes go so far as to dull things down. A sense of adventure stands firm, but a sense of fun is limited, and that's detrimental to a sense of tension and resonance, both of which stand strong enough, with generally solid entertainment value, to make the final product a borderline excellent affair, but only borderline. The Coens are a greater grip on tone, originality and pacing away from crafting, not simply the best film of their career, but an outstanding film, which, as I've said, is seen in glimpses often enough for a strong film to be crafted, with a handsome artistic polish.

Seriously underused and, for that matter, even more so formulaic, this film's score is still one of the sharper Carter Burwell has composed for a Coen brothers film in a number of years, with a subtle sweep that is further subdued by tasteful sobriety that is often haunting in its sentimental heart, and in its beauty, all but matched by cinematography by Roger Deakins that isn't too recurrently impressive, but has moments of crisp coloring and impeccable lighting that are nearly breathtaking. Deakins certainly knows how to compliment handsome art direction by Stefan Dechant and Christina Ann Wilson that surprisingly may not distinguish the old west environment as much as one would expect, but still molds settings and visuals that adequately sell the era, and are dynamic enough to supplement a sense of adventure, on which a film like this thrives. While familiar, even to those not familiar with either the novel of the same name or its classic original adaptation from 1969, this story is intriguing, as a lively, when not dramatically weighty adventure narrative, and as a portrait on worthy coming-of-age themes, brought to life by a faulty, but generally outstanding script by the Coens, whose fusion of old west formality and trademark Coen snap begets amazing, if sometimes overly snappy dialogue, as well as sharp humor, and whose fusion of trademark Coen idiosyncrasies, toned down, and nuanced humanity begets colorful characterization. These characters conceived by Charles Portis may have existed for a long time now, but the Coens' distinguished touches craft what may be the most memorable Coen film character roster since "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", best-sold by roster of talented performers, such as charmers throughout a solid supporting cast from which Matt Damon, as a respectable, if arrogant Texas ranger facing about as much danger as he ever has, and Josh Brolin, as a mysterious and dangerous criminal, stand out, while the leads most stand out, even with chemistry that is about as dynamite as the individual performances found on either end of the chemistry. Bridges, with his ruggedly growly, old Oklahoma drunk dialect and commitment to a portrayal of physical haggardness, transforms into the iconically grimy Rooster Cogburn character more organically than the acclaimed John Wayne himself, with a marvelous charm that, when flavored up with a heroic presence, makes Cogburn an engrossing protagonist, and Bridges one of the best things about the film, not unlike young newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, who is just as impeccable in her portrayal of a passionate and vengeful young woman with a great deal of wisdom and maturity which she will find challenged in the face of dangers that go well over her head, and provide Steinfeld the opportunity to deliver on subtle dramatic layering that is advanced even for talents as well-versed in acting as many of Steinfeld's peers, and therefore joins Bridges' performance in carrying the film. Really, Steinfeld and Bridges might very well define the film, but only in part, because as the end of the day, the people who most bring strength to this drama are the very people who hold the final product back from excellence: the Coen brothers, as directors, whose messy pacing and tonal plays shake momentum that the brothers never lose too much of, as subtle style sees subtle, but sure entertainment value, punctuated by a rich thoughtfulness which establishes tension during well-staged action sequences, and resonance to the dramatics. I wish there was a little more inspiration here, but, with that said, this is easily the Coens' most inspired and effective endeavor in a very, very long time, and while the final product still fails to stand out, it comes close as a reasonably entertaining, thoroughly compelling and altogether very rewarding drama.

Through all of the grit is a drama whose often distancingly overt wit and tonal and pacing inconsistencies, made all the more blanding by formulaic storytelling and often dull atmospheric cold spells, hold the final product shy of excellence, but just barely, as beautiful score work and cinematography, immersive art direction, and an adventurously and thematically intriguing story, brought to life by outstanding scripting, acting - especially by Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges - and direction, ultimately make the Coen brothers' "True Grit" a generally gripping western that ranks relatively high among the filmmakers' very best films.

3.25/5 - Strong.