I have an ambivalent relationship with the Coen brothers. I love some of their early films and last year’s A Serious  Man was one of my favorite films of the year. But while there is much to admire about True Grit, it left me a little cold.

Although she is only fourteen, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is determined to avenge the murder of her father. She leaves her mother and younger siblings and convinces grizzled marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to take the job of capturing Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who murdered her father. Texas marshal LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is after Chaney for other crimes, and insists on joining the party. Although both men try to leave Mattie behind, she insists on going with them. The search for Chaney consumes most of the film, as the three trek through streams and mountains toward Indian Territories. There is much danger along the way, and a final confrontation with the nasty Chaney. Is a fourteen year old girl any match for these guys?

The Coen brothers told their actors that this film was not a remake of the 1969 True Grit starring John Wayne, but instead was a faithful reinterpretation of the Charles Portis novel. It is unclear if the film is supposed to be an homage or a comment on the genre, but either way, your level of enjoyment of this film may be predicated on your feelings about Westerns. All of the characters eschew contractions, and use a kind of stylized highly formal speech. At times the effect is humorous. After Cogburn insists Mattie climb a tree and cut down a corpse in case the deceased is someone he knows, he looks at the dead man and says somberly, “I do not know this man.”  The film contains some exciting sequences, especially the shoot out and scenes of Mattie and a snake, but the film moves at a slow pace. The relationship between the characters and the lead actors are the strongest features of True Grit.

Jeff Bridges turns in another strong performance as tough guy Rooster Cogburn. He uses the slurry speech he used in Crazy Heart, and although he is sometimes difficult to understand, he balances Rooster’s toughness with loads of charisma.  Bridges does an especially good job of suggesting a father/daughter bond between Rooster and Maddie, and it is their relationship that drives the film. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld  is just marvelous as Mattie Ross and really anchors the film. She is appealing and earnest, and spunky without being too cute. Steinfeld speaks Maddie’s fast paced, hyper literate dialogue with ease. Her youth adds a real ick factor to the pseudo-romantic energy between Mattie and LaBouf. It is a little unsettling when LaBouf watches fourteen year old Mattie sleep and confesses he was thinking of “stealing a kiss,” and the spanking he administers to her is downright creepy. That is about as far into dark territory as the Coen brothers go here, and credit goes to Matt Damon for keeping his character likable.  His somewhat restrained performance as the boastful but capable marshal is just right, and he has excellent chemistry with co-stars Bridges and  Steinfeld. Josh Brolin is engaging as killer Tom Chaney, and his eventual confrontation with Mattie, Rooster and LaBoeuf is not disappointing.

While I liked parts of the film, I missed the twists and humor often present in the Coen brothers’ films. I am not a big fan of Westerns, but this appears to be a good one. However, I found that I appreciated  and admired True Grit more than I enjoyed it.

True Grit. Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.  Jeff Bridges (Rooster Cogburn), Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross), Matt Damon (LaBoeuf), Josh Brolin (Tom Chaney), Dakin Matthews (Col. Stonehill) and Elizabeth Marvel (40-Year-Old Mattie). Paramount Pictures, 2010.

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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