True Grit

Film: True Grit
Director: Ethan and Joel Coen
Country: USA

True Grit is a surprisingly simple idea coming from the Coens. It's a remake of an old John Wayne movie which focuses on the little girl instead of the old grizzled marshal. The story is pretty basic Western story. A thirteen year old girl Mattie's father is murdered by a man Tom Chaney they had taken in. She goes out looking for revenge, and hires Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to kill him. While in town she runs into La Boeuf, a Texas Ranger who's also after Chaney, but he's after him for crimes he committed in Texas. Mattie wants to come along on the hunt for Chaney. Cogburn at first wants to leave her behind thinking she didn't have the toughness to survive in Indian country, but he's convinced by her perserverence in following him that she is.

I usually like Westerns but I found myself bored for this one. The story goes through the motions of a movie that might have been made in the 40s through 60s, but it's got a tone of artificiality through it that blunts the impact. It's not as fun as the old Westerns it replicates, and it's not as intellectually interesting as other Coen movies. The characterization feels a little heavy handed and a little manipulative. They try a little too hard to endear you to Mattie's toughness, having her dominate a negotiation for the return of some horses her father bought, threatening to sue him. You can tell from the beginning that Rooster and La Boeuf are going to come to the same conclusion we're obviously supposed to from the first time we see her: That the little girl is endearingly tough. I'm usually a fan of the Coens, but this style of plot doesn't suit their style of directing.

Style: 6
Substance: 4
Overall: 5
Accessibility: 7