True Grit

Confession: I haven’t seen Jeff Bridges in much of anything since I saw him captain the 1996 film White Squall. Maybe I’ve lived under a rock, but I somehow have yet to see The Big Lebowski and Crazy Heart. Maybe he deserved the Academy win last year. Or maybe he just needs a cowboy hat the way Helena Bonham Carter needs a corset – a talisman that gives their performance strength and power. Regardless, what I loved about Bridges in White Squall reappears in True Grit: tough love and determination, and a low tolerance for sissies.

In the late 1800s, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross enlists the gruff, tired, one-eyed Rubin “Rooster” Cogburn to help find the man who killed her father. Cogburn’s half-drunk, half-asleep reticence sustains him until there’s action – at which point he readily comes to life, only to resume his cocky, distanced demeanor thereafter. His rambling chatter is met at counterpoint by the lofty speech of Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (pronounced “Lah-beef,” as he is a man who clearly has a beef with his enemy), also on the trail of one murderous, outlaw scoundrel who goes by Tom Chaney, among other aliases. Incidentally, it’s a kick to hear three renegades of the law chasing after a criminal called Chaney. Mattie, Cogburn, and LaBoeuf make a lively threesome as they pursue Chaney in Arkansas’ wild Chocktaw territory.

One other confession before I continue: I have not, before True Grit, seen a Coen brothers film. My knowledge of them is largely through reputation, and I understand they are a force with which to be reckoned. Much like Cogburn, I suppose, they have proved to be men of true grit. As far as I can comment on their filmmaking, I believe exposition is not their strength, and perhaps their cinematography serves not the picture but their ability to cast and carve characters exceedingly well. My qualm lies in the lack of gravitas permitted to certain small corners of the film. Elizabeth Marvel’s voiceover work as the elder Mattie Ross left much to be desired; the final lines of the film ought to have far more gravitas. Brief character roles are filled and depicted with incredible detail, but it’s hard to tell if they’re trying to illustrate or caricaturize traditional figures of the cinematic westerns. Early in the film, Mattie walks in to a public court hearing, where I wasn’t sure if the prosecuting lawyer was a humorous figure or a man to be taken seriously.

That aside, every performer in the film took their role and enhanced it. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld brings a contemporary accessibility to nineteenth century, adolescent farmer’s daughter who has appointed herself head of the household. Her performance has made quite an impression on movie audiences, rivaling Chloe Grace-Moritz as Hit Girl (Kick-Ass) for Bad Ass Young Female Figure of the Year. What Mattie retains that Hit Girl doesn’t is her youth: on Chaney’s trail, she still delights in the care of her horse as a child dotes on a pet, and her eagerness to avoid conflict between allies by distracting them with ghost stories betrays her innocence. It’s a clever combination the Coen brothers have drawn, and well balanced by Miss Steinfeld. I last saw Matt Damon in the Clint Eastwood drama Hereafter, but his appearance in True Grit is delightful. As LaBeouf, he’s required to display a touch less modesty and a bit more bravado than he usually does, though he wisely allows Bridges to take the fore. Cogburn’s a hell of a character and Bridges is no less than fantastic as a gravelly, gristly bear prodded from hibernation to do what he does best – hunt.

Using humor to temper the course of adventure, it’s a timely film to help get through the winter. I would not be surprised to see True Grit collect several Academy Awards. For anyone who had doubts about a Coen brothers remake of a 1968 classic, True Grit has certainly proved its mettle.