True Grit

★★★★

(2010)

The Coen Brother’s already impressive catalog of films is expanded on beautifully with a near perfect, funny and effortlessly balanced rewrite of Charles Portis’ novel and Henry Hathaway’s 1969 redemption western. Jeff Bridges growls and scowls his way into the role of alcoholic bounty hunting Marshall, Rueben J. Cogburn, hired by whip smart teen Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to bring the killer of her father to justice. With the brilliantly mustachioed Texas Ranger, LeBouef (Matt Damon) to lend a hand the three head off into hard country to get the job done.

What’s exceptional about the remake which was sorely lacking the previous version is the direction that the Coens have taken the much stronger three way partnership between Ross, Cogburn and LeBeouf. Each breaking and bonding at various points throughout their journey, both over their dislike and gradual warming to one another; The young girl consistently tipping both bumbling men on their heads as they fight to be seen as their own kind of caricature father figure.

The dialogue is, as we’ve come to expect, bristling and frequently used impeccably as relief for an audience on such a vicious journey. Cogburn’s one line dissections on horrible situations are inspired; “I do not know this man.” he says dryly just after we’ve watched the young Mattie cut a dead body down from a tree. It’s always been a gift of the American auteurs to inject an trasnscendant oddness into staggeringly bleak moments and they’ve rarely done it better than in True Grit.

The performances are just as good. The young Steinfled is quite a character, almost upstaging both Bridges’ old grizzled hulk and Damon’s spiteful boy scout ranger. There’s also great support from rouge’s gallery of very Coen faces, a hideous looking Barry Pepper and a bizarrely voiced comic book coward in Josh Brolin’s odd portrayal of killer Tom Chaney.

A remake, laden with more than its fair share of brilliance, definitely worthy of your time.