'True Grit' remake is a memorable film of determination
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Mon, 12/27/2010 - 12:51am
"True Grit" is a 2010 remake to the 1969 film which starred John Wayne, written and directed by the Jeff and Ethan Coen. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name. The film stars Jeff Bridges as U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn and Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross with Texas Rager Matt Damon and bad guy Josh Brolin.
The film will open the 61st Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 10, 2011. It is playing at the Galaxy Fandango Theater multiplex in Carson City.
I didn't see the Wayne version of the story, but I suspect that as with almost all Wayne films he was Wayne rather than the role. Here Bridges, currently one of the busiest actors in Hollywood ( see "TRON" also playing at the Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City). Bridges is almost a characture of Rooster but does a fine job of showing life as it was in the West post-War period. He's dirty, a drunk but a tough outdoors man.
He is ably helped by Hailee Steinfield as the 14-year-old girl who hires him to capture or kill Josh Brolin. As with so many young actors these days, she is talented and with her rapid-fire speech a solid base of the story.
Seems that Brolin murdered her father and she is determined to bring him to justice. Rooster as first rejects her job offer but finally takes the job.
Chiming in is Texas Ranger Matt Damond, also after Brolin but for the murder of a Texas senator. But he wants to take Brolin back to Texas and Mattie wants him handled here and rejects his offer to help.
Rooster tries to take off on the hunt without Mattie, but she fords a river and catches up with Rooster and Damon. Damon eventually peels off, feeling Rooster is too drunk to do the job. While getting water Mattie runs into Brolin and with her father's pistol wounds him but it taken prisoner by a gang. Her life is threatened but she is protected as a hostage for the gang. Left alone with Brolin she escapes and falls into snake-infested cave and is bitten. Rooster rescues her and carries her to safety.
Many years later Mattie is searching for Rooster to thank him but it is too late; he died three days before she tracked him down to a Wild West show.
This is a deft telling of the story and the cast just about perfect. Steinfeld is a comer, you'll be seeing more of her. Damon offers good support and Brolin is sufficiently nasty. Bridges is, of course, the pivot to it all, and he continues to succeed in whatever role he's in.
The film lasts 110 minutes, is rated PG-13. Excellent Western photography and music. I guess a sort of Christmas story if you include payback in your moral code. Closing scene of the adult Mattie is an elergy and classical.
Yep, most enjoyable.
Cast
— Jeff Bridges as United States Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
— Matt Damon as Texas Ranger La Boeuf
— Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney
— Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross
— Barry Pepper as "Lucky" Ned Pepper
— Domhnall Gleeson as Moon
— Ed Corbin as Bear Grit
— Roy Lee Jones as Yarnell
— Paul Rae as Emmett Quincy
— Nicholas Sadler as Sullivan
— Bruce Green as Harold Parmalee
— Joe Stevens as Lawyer Goudy
— Dakin Matthews as Colonel Stonehill
— Elizabeth Marvel as 40-year old Mattie Ross
— Leon Russom as Sheriff
— Jake Walker as Judge Isaac Parker
— Peter Leung as Mr. Lee
— Don Pirl as Cole Younger
— Sam Bauman
