Movie Review: True Grit

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still technically reviews—just so he can say he indeed still bitches about what's getting too much/not enough attention. Reviews will offer a quick take that ends with a brief summarizing thought that, in the spirit of Metacritic or Sound Opinions, will be in green (denoting a positive opinion), yellow (mixed opinion) or red (negative opinion). And sorry, but no star-ratings or letter grades.

Today's review: "True Grit," originally released December 14, 2010 in New York City.


THREE THINGS I LIKED:

1. A TESTAMENT TO THE COENS' OVERALL CRAFTSMANSHIP ... — True Grit is another exemplary combination of all aspects in the brothers' filmmaking—especially the cinematography of Roger Deakins (which almost feels redundant to say at this point) and Carter Burwell's score. In constructing their Western, the Coens got help from some of the best folks in their respective areas of expertise to do so.
2. ... ESPECIALLY THE CASTING — Jeff Bridges' performance as the one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn offers up much of the comic touch the film needs—especially when sharing screen time with Matt Damon's LaBoeuf, the Texas Ranger also in pursuit of bandit Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) for unrelated crimes. And despite her supporting billing, Hailee Steinfeld is effectively the star of the picture as 14-year-old Mattie Ross, the young girl who's also the film's narrator and hires Cogburn to hunt down her father's killer. There's also other fine, smaller characters along the way (perhaps most notably Dakin Matthews' turn as a horse trader) that help hit all the right marks.
3. I NEVER READ THE NOVEL OR SAW THE 1969 VERSION OF THE FILM ... — Or at least I don't remember ever seeing the John Wayne version of the movie that won the legend his only Oscar. So in one sense, I was able to enter the Coens' version and judge it strictly on its own merits.

THREE THINGS I DIDN'T:

1. ... BUT I NEVER READ THE NOVEL OR SAW THE 1969 VERSION OF THE FILM — And while I've always sort of preferred to avoid the comparison of "faithfulness to the book" (because the book is always better anyway), it would admittedly be nice to say with some certainty whether this effort was an improvement or not over the movie made more than four decades earlier.
2. TAKES A LITTLE WHILE TO GET GOING — It's more than half an hour before the film's three main characters finally get out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, to begin their journey to chase down Chaney. Your first act involves more arguing than action.
3. FOR A COEN BROTHERS FILM, IT'S FAR MORE CONVENTIONAL THAN USUAL — When the film opens with a quote from the Bible, it's fair to wonder if the Coens are messing with you like they did when, say, Fargo opened with the disclaimer about being a true story. But despite the tendency to expect more of their accustomed quirkiness from the brothers, True Grit ends up being perhaps the most straightforward movie they've made yet. It's not entirely a bad thing, but those expecting a distinctly Coen take on the Western might be somewhat disappointed. 

25 WORDS OR LESS:

It doesn't reinvent the Western, but still effectively honors most every aspect of the genre.