There’s been a fair bit of discussion as to whether or not True Grit is a remake. It might seem a question of semantics, but you can understand the confusion: technically speaking, True Grit is the second literary adaptation of Charles Portis’s novel of the same name and bears no relation to the original 1969 cinema version, but watched back to back the two films prove remarkably similar.
Indeed, it’s easy to imagine the Coen brothers having not watched the first film at all, simply because they seem to fall into all of the same narrative traps. Still, if No Country for Old Men illustrated anything, it’s that Minnesota’s most famous filmmakers hue closely to their literary sources.
The two films certainly look different, the Coens’ choice of New Mexico and Texas locations eschewing the earlier film’s storybook palette and giving their production an altogether dustier and more authentically western feel. With regular DOP Roger Deakins on board, True Grit 2010 was always going to look majestic.
The Coens have allowed their film to play a little differently too. Mattie Ross is still as precocious as ever, but where Kim Darby let the character drift into histrionics, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld has a much cooler and more calculated approach. It makes Mattie more interesting but also more of a closed book: you’re never sure how much her father’s murder has truly affected her and there’s seemingly no point where she suddenly realises, far into Indian territory and in the midst of a dangerous manhunt, that she’s way out her depth.
The character of LaBoeuf also comes in for some serious revision, courtesy of Matt Damon. Originally played as a nincompoop mouth-breather by Glen Campbell, Damon keeps the character’s dandyism intact but reverses the rest, the incompetence being revealed slowly and corrected in an equally subtle manner.
Of course, the big question was whether or not the Dude could sidestep the Duke and make the role of Rooster Cogburn his very own. John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal, but it’s often regarded as a sympathy vote and throughout his career the big guy had to tap into all of his intimidating charisma to offset his staginess. Jeff Bridges sinks into the Coens’ take on Cogburn and seems to relish their labyrinthine dialogue, even if he’s never going to be quite the action man Wayne was.
Not that there’s a heap of action in True Grit. The film is frugal in its serving of set pieces and you could argue this is one of its biggest deficiencies: when Mattie, Rooster and LaBoeuf set out into dangerous territories to find the Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man responsible for Mattie’s father’s demise, you’d be forgiven for expecting all sorts of death defying antics. Instead, you tend to get a lot of fantastic fireside dialogue which is always appreciated from the Coens, but at some point you begin to wish the tongues would stop wagging and the guns start firing.
This is all part of the film’s struggle to deal with its literary origins. Much like the 1969 version, the journey takes too long to kick off, and Tom Chaney should really be brought into the story proper much earlier than he ultimately is. Late in piece, old time Rooster adversary Ned Pepper (an unrecognisable Barry Pepper) seems to become the group’s main adversary, which is fine in one sense he’s a great character, and a more intimidating presence than Chaney but it’s really a switch that you’re loathe to forgive.
And the talky nature of True Grit would be easier to digest if you were given a bit more character to bite into. The cast do a fantastic job, but Mattie and LaBoeuf (despite Damon’s frequently hilarious portrayal ) iare still a touch too closed off from the audience for you to truly care about them.
But that’s the Coens. When it comes to interpreting the written word, they seem more than happy to meet audiences halfway. Their fans tend to appreciate that they make movies as much for themselves as they do anybody else, and in so many ways True Grit is an absolute pleasure to watch. But this could only ever be considered a minor Coen brothers work, even if that means its better than 90 per cent of other cinema out there.
I say:
A minor Coen brothers film is still a major cinematic event, but this is a story that, with some reworking, could make for a truly great piece of celluloid.
See it for:
The many little things the Coen’s do so well, even if all those elements don’t quite add up into a classic film.
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