True Grit (Coen Brothers, 2010): USA

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy.  Viewed at Camino Real Cinema, Goleta, CA.

The Coen brothers have attempted to remake an eternal classic, starring Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

Being a fan of several Coen brothers’ films, but also a die-hard fan of classic westerns and of Duke Wayne (John Wayne for you greenhorns), I approached the screening of this film with much trepidation – wondering why the brothers would attempt such a feat and also hoping they did justice to the original.

It is explained early in the film through VO narration by Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), that at 14 she set out to collect the murdered remains of her father and became hell bent on capturing the murdering fugitive Tom Chaney (James Brolin).

After inquiring about the best man suited for the job of bounty hunter, she is given several recommendations and settles on the least likely Rooster Cogburn.

Cogburn is a crusty, one-eyed old hoot who “pulls a cork” now and then, and is known to shoot first and ask questions later.  Initially he rejects Mattie’s offer of $100, but finally agrees on it until he meets Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who apprises him of the reward offered on other charges from that “great state of Texas.”

The three endure a long, arduous journey into Indian territory and encounter pitfalls along the way, before finally meeting up with Chaney.

Supposedly staying truer to the Charles Portis novel and deflecting from the original 1969 Henry Hathaway classic, the Coen brothers repeated scenes and the best dialogue (almost verbatim) from the original film.  For those not familiar with the story, the remake is acceptable and some scenes did indeed receive a few laughs.  As a fan of the original, the dialogue lacked freshness, felt rushed in recitation and lacking in believability from the actors.

The Coen brothers managed to forgot the basics of Screenwriting I – show don’t tell.  In an attempt to speed the story along, too much is said with very little shown – this is what I refer to as lazy filmmaking.  There is only one scene in the film where the audience can actually experience a real connection between Mattie and Cogburn, but even this gets screwed up in a rush from daytime to nighttime with a phony starlit sky, missing the beat entirely.

Bridges’ performance is not bad, but his character lacks the heart and soul of Rueben J. Cogburn – he delivers crusty but is unable to project the warmth from within.  Steinfeld is a fourteen year old actress portraying a fourteen year old young woman – she’s got the lines down solid, but her character lacks the depth of what is being spoken.  Brolin is completely forgettable, while Matt Damon’s performance is the closest to redemption.  There is one really good scene that is typical Coen brothers and it concerns LaBoeuf’s tongue.

I challenge anyone who has not had the opportunity to screen the original, action-packed, 1969 Hathaway version, complete with terrific stunts, perfectly timed humor, great cinematography, and heart-stopping scenes that are edited succinctly to an unforgettable Elmer Bernstein score.  This may sound corny, but the Coen brothers’ version lacks grit – true grit!

Hint to filmmakers – hang your ego on a hat rack and don’t attempt to remake an already perfect film, it doesn’t work.

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Published:
01.03.11 / 6pm
Category:
Films