First spun by Charles Portis in the original novel from 1968, and then again in its first filmed version starring John Wayne a year later, “True Grit” was already a twice-told tale.
And then the Coen brothers and Jeff Bridges came along and told it yet again, this time with their trademark wry humor, slightly skewed cinematic vision and fearful respect for the beauty — and violence —of the American west.
Their version is much truer to the book than its predecessor, but it’s also its own wild pony. If it doesn’t win an Oscar, then I’m donning my old bear pelt and moving out to Arkansas, and to hell with the Academy Awards.
Most people will probably say that Hailee Steinfeld is the backbone of this film, and it’s tough to disagree with that. As Mattie Ross, the stout, shrewd, Puritanical 14-year old heroine and narrator of the story, Steinfeld is a mighty gifted child actress.
But then again, Jeff Bridges as “Rooster” Cogburn, the one-eyed, drunken, grizzled U.S. marshal that Mattie hires to hunt down Chaney, plays his role with transcendental eloquence. If Cogburn’s character is the embodiment of our idea of the frontier lawman, then Bridges, more so than John Wayne’s original, is the embodiment of Cogburn.
As with all good Coen brothers movies, however, what brings out all these details and traits is the film’s subdued tone. Mattie’s snake-bit night flight through the starry plains towards the story’s end is as moving as any movie sequence from all of last year. It alone would guarantee “True Grit” a spot on Dive’s Top 10 for 2010.
