Joel & Ethan Coen's True Grit (2010)

My childhood was filled with John Wayne westerns. To this day, True Grit stands as Wayne's finest hour; so it was with both curiosity and apprehension that I first heard a remake was in the works. My apprehension soon gave way to excitement when I heard about the principals: The Coen Brothers, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. I was still unsure that anyone could match the presence and impact of the legendary Duke, but who better to try than the Dude? The western genre has enjoyed a brief, but critically viable, resurgence in recent years and True Grit is a welcome, if unspectacular, addition to the genre. There are very few missteps, but I can't help but feel that we just missed witnessing something that could have been truly spectacular.

For those unfamiliar with the origins of the story, True Grit is a remake/reimagining of the 1969 Henry Hathaway film of the same name, which is in turn based on the 1968 book written by Charles Portis. Hathaway's film was notable for earning John Wayne only Oscar and Wayne's performance, though a bit on the hammy side, still stands as one of the high points of a legendary career. The Coen Brothers approached the material with the intent of delivering a more faithful adaptation of the book, and on that count they succeeded quite admirably. Told from the point of view of the young Mattie Ross (fantastic newcomer Hailee Steinfeld), True Grit tells the story of a young girl, dead set on finding and killing her father's murderer. She enlists the help of a drunken US Marshall named Rooster Cogburn (Bridges, clearly having a ball) and a boisterous Texas Ranger played by a riotous Matt Damon. Together, the three set out into Indian territory; what follows is a beautifully shot and often funny, if slight, journey.

The Coen Brothers are known for their quirkiness and it is somewhat disappointing that True Grit possesses so little of this trademark oddness. Indeed, the film is likely the Coen's first straightforward genre exercise; to their credit, they set out to make a western and they made a good one. This is primarily due to the quality of their assured direction, the beautiful cinematography by longtime collaborator Roger Deakins, and the excellent performances by a star-filled cast.

Bridges plays Cogburn as a drunken mess of a man, though a man still scarily competent when it comes time for bloodshed. As he staggers about, slurring his words and rattling off stories of past adventures, it's clear that outside of Wayne, Bridges is the only actor that could possibly inhabit the role. It is an Oscar-worthy performance, although one likely to result in only a nomination, given last years' win for Crazy Heart. Damon is hilarious as the cocky Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (pronounced La Beef, and repeated numerous times to hilarious effect by Cogburn), and Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper also turn in high quality performances in limited screen time as the villains. Those four actors comprise a murderers' row of talent, but the real star of True Grit is the young Steinfeld, who goes to toe to toe with Bridges and Damon and emerges unscathed. It is a remarkable debut, and while the role is admittedly one-note, it's certainly a promising start to what looks to be a long career. The 14-year old has garnered significant Oscar buzz, and deservedly so.

The direction and acting are excellent, but where the film falters is in both pacing and tone. While it is quite funny, I couldn't help but feel that it was almost too funny, as the darkly serious subject matter didn't seem to be treated with the proper weight. And although this is no fault of the Coen Brothers, the film seemed rather slight, as there simply wasn't a lot going on. There are only three major events in the film, and the villains only appear for five minutes or so. My biggest gripe, however, was the lack of John Wayne. Again, it's hard to criticize a film for something beyond its control, but when you enter the remake game, you must accept that you will be judged against those that came before you. While Bridges version of Cogburn is certainly more believable and far funnier than the character as played by Wayne, I couldn't help but wish Wayne would take over during the scenes involving gunplay. The climactic gun battle lacks the power and ferocity of the original's finale, and it was with some disappointment that I realized that even the Coen Brothers, armed with Jeff Bridges and a host of great actors, cannot always pull an ace from their sleeves. True Grit is a good film, and compared to most recent entries in the genre, a great western, but it fails to leave much of a mark. 4 out of 5 stars.