“True Grit” is not a Coen brothers film. Although it is written and directed by the famous filmmaking siblings who won the Oscar in 2008 by adapting Cormac McCarthy delivering one of that year’s most violent and unique films. “True Grit,” by contrast, is a surprisingly traditional Western and that’s because it had to be.
The “True Grit” story adapted from the Charles Portis novel is well-known. A revenge tale set in the Old West in which young Mattie Ross hires the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn to hunt down and capture the man responsible for her father’s murder. It is a classic tale that was classically told back in 1969 when the movie won the Oscar in 1970 for the iconic John Wayne. In the 2010 Coen brothers version the soon to be iconic and recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges takes on the Cogburn role, donning the eye-patch and adopting a very similar ornery attitude. The one revelation in the new movie is the performance of young Hailee Steinfeld who steps into the Mattie character handled originally by Kim Darby in 1969. Matt Damon is La Boeuf here and is arguably superior to Glen Campbell. Aside from some casting choices and a unique ending sequence, the movies are very much alike. The Coens, famous for eclectic filmmaking (think “Fargo” and others), have toned themselves down and made for all intents and purposes a reverential piece of nostalgia. And it works in almost every way.
Still, I was left wanting. We do get some clever violence and good performances. But what was the point in remaking one of Hollywood’s most sacred cows? Certainly money had a lot do with it, but the Coens are beyond seeking out a good paycheck (didn’t they do that with “The Ladykillers” and “Intolerable Cruelty?”). No, it is possible that they saw “True Grit” as a chance to step away from their normal way of doing things and make a straight film for a change. But that leaves their fans largely in the cold. The movie lacks the Coen touch. The narrative itself is simple and lacking a satirical angle that often marks the work of the filmmakers. This is why, no doubt, the Coens chose to stretch out the ending in an attempt to give the film more bite. And that works but only in the blandest of ways.
Good news though is that the PG-13 rating and the broadly appealing storyline combined with the built-in audience familiar with the original makes “True Grit” perfect family viewing this Christmas season. I do wonder if the same crowd that demonized “Secretariat” will pick on “True Grit.” Either way, it is safe to say that the movie will make money, and the Coen brothers’ divergence from the tweaked world-view of their films is complete.
