True Grit

Mike: Yes, Mr Wayne. You were our first Rooster Cogburn and we will always love and respect you for that. We saw you again as Rooster in 1975 when you were teamed with Miss Hepburn in what was essentially a western remake of The African Queen but..I'm sorry..can I say this without being scalped? Jeff Bridges does a better interpretation of ol' Rooster. You had mighty big boots to step into, Mr Wayne, we all know that. Mr Jeff Bridges has slipped very comfortably into them, so let's all touch our cowboy hats' brims in respect. The Coen brothers version of Charles Portis' novel is truer to the pages than the '69 film, allegedly. I can't say for sure, as I have not read that book, however what we see in this version is a sturdily put together entertainment. Hallie Steinfeld as Matty gives a remarkably assured performance, Matt Damon seems a better bet than Glen Campbell, even Josh Brolin shows evidence of a talent that had hitherto gone unnoticed by me. It's filmed attractively in Texas, we can be thankful for that fidelity to the genre and that it wasn't lensed in Hungary or Romania or...shudder...Canada, and it seems to me a worthy addition to the canon. In fact..I think the two films would make an attractive double feature. Hmm. On to Netflix.

Suzanne: I haven't read the book since 1969, so I can't say, either, whether this version is truer, but I do remember that I was disappointed that the 1969 movie was not more faithful. I picked the book up at the library yesterday, so I'll let you what the major differences are. In any case, the Coen's have made a new movie based on the book, not a remake of the 1969 film. Although we probably can't help but compare the two films, we shouldn't. The 1969 film was a John Wayne vehicle, pure and simple. This movie follows the book in making Mattie Ross the center point around which the film revolves.
My thought at the end of the film was that the Coen's had found a novel which is perfectly suited to their filmmaking style. It has an abundance of gritty (pun intended), quirky, complex characters, dark humor, casual violence, and a complicated, twisty plot. Jeff Bridges is probably as close as we'll get to the reality of a 19th-century American Western lawman/bounty hunter. I could almost smell him. Matt Damon is perfectly adequate as LeBoeuf, although I missed any hint of a Texas accent and he seemed much too clean. I did appreciate his Wild West Cowboy costume, complete with foot-long fringe and oversized gunbelt. It perfectly expresses his naive, untested character at the beginning of the film and is a strong contrast with Bridges'.
Hailee Steinfeld was excellent, and, at 14 herself, more suited to the role than the 20-year old Kim Darby, but I can't help but feel that Darby was more faithful to the book. Although she does give a subtle performance, Steinfeld projects too much emotion -- the trembling lip, the wide eyes. The novel explores the difference between bravery as a result of naivette and ignorance, faux grit, if you will, and bravery as a result of, well, true grit. Mattie knows no fear initially because she is stubborn and naive and unaware of the possible real consequences of her actions. She does not admit to any need for fear in the beginning. Both she and LeBoeuf inhabit the glorious myth of the West of the dime novel, and uncounted movies today. Mattie is a hero worshipper, and Cogburn is the hero she has chosen to worship.
Cogburn, on the other hand, has moved to the opposite extreme, and defines himself and the world in solely negative terms. He is living that other myth of the West, the one of violence and blood and extreme individualism. Ultimately, all of the protagonists move toward the middle, and an acceptance and acknowledgement of the complexity of life that integrates aspects of both myths.