Joel and Ethan Coen have been notorious for delivering bizarre and strange narratives from their own twisted minds. True Grit, their latest film is a remake of the 1969 film of the same name, starring John Wayne, falls short of being up to traditional Coen standards. The film follows Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) a 14-year-old independent girl who has just lost her father to a man named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Wanting to bring Tom Chaney to justice, she hires a man with “true grit,” named Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and with the help of Texas Ranger LaBouef (Matt Damon) they search for Chaney.
I had the chance to check out the original True Grit, thanks to Netflix. I find this film to be a charming and fun ride. John Wayne, although rough and tough, has a bit of wit, and the story is lighthearted enough to be enjoyable. The Coens have taken this story and given it a darker tone and that’s about all they’ve done with it, aside from a few narrative changes. The narrative does not offer the freedom to be able to add the Coen touch without drastically changing the story. The most interesting thing is watching Steinfeld hold her own up against the two Hollywood heavyweights of Damon and Bridges, who don’t really offer much to begin with. The entire film I felt as if I was watching the actors, and not the characters. I didn’t care when certain things happened to characters, I felt as if they were just happening. Bridges attempts to deliver that same charm we get from Wayne, but with his delivery, and the tone of the film, it seems out of place. The same goes for Damon, and any other attempts for comic relief aren’t necessary. Had the Coens played this completely dark, with no comedy, I feel it would have been much more effective. Instead these moments do more hurt than help.
The film moves along pretty well and doesn’t slow down for a second, with each scene being necessary for the plot. However, it isn’t too interesting until the group is well along on their journey. It isn’t until the film gets violent that we see the Coens add their own voice into the film. Other than that, it is pretty bland. Also, the cinematography doesn’t give the characters room to breathe. The film is very tight, and close, as opposed to the original. We don’t see that landscapes which are so essential to westerns. We simply watch the characters move around to different places, and don’t really understand where they are.
Maybe it’s my own fault for expecting so much from this. I mean, the trailer was pretty exciting. The narrative and actors presented a lot of potential for the Coens to take this film to the next level, but instead it falls. Unfortunately the Coens needed to do more than change the tone, and add a few big names to make this a worthy contender for this year’s Oscar season.
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