Looking at the blockbusters that the American film industry was flooding global cinemas with in past few decades, it was quite hard to identify a single title that wasn’t a remake, sequel, prequel, or at least a spin-off of something previously made, typically in much better way. Even the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, who enjoyed the status of rare true artists among American filmmakers, could not resist this trend. Their 2010 film True Grit, like so much of their ouevre , has received a slew of critical acclaim. However, critics have also made considerable efforts to avoid mentioning that it is a remake of a 1969 western that earned legendary John Wayne his only Oscar.
The film is set in 1880s Arkansas and follows Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld), a 14-year-old girl whose father was murdered and robbed by his employee Tom Chaney (played by Josh Brolin) during a business trip. Since the killer has fled to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) and local authorities show little interest in bringing him to justice, Mattie decides to take matters into her own hands. To this end, she hires Ruben "Rooster" Cogburn (played by Bridges), a one-eyed US marshal who, despite his fondness for whiskey, has a reputation as the deadliest man around. However, the mission faces serious challenges, the least of which is Mattie's insistence on participating in the hunt for Chaney herself; alongside Cogburn and Mattie, Chaney is also pursued by Texas Ranger LaBeouf (played by Damon), and if they manage to find him in the sparsely populated, cold wilderness, they will not only have to confront him but also a gang of vicious outlaws led by Ned Pepper (played by Barry Pepper).
Inevitably, comparisons with the original—directed by old Hollywood veteran Henry Hathaway and which itself received a sequel with Wayne in the 1970s—show that the Coen brothers did not exert themselves too much in writing the script. Not only does the plot follow the original almost entirely, but so do the dialogues; only in a few details, including the ending, does the new version appear somewhat different and darker—though this is more due to the original novel than to the Coens' cherished dark humour. On the other hand, the Coens strive to give the film a specific atmosphere; just as their previous work A Serious Man was unmistakably Jewish film, True Grit is unmistakably Protestant. This is suggested not only by Carter Burwell's soundtrack inspired by the famous Presbyterian hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," but also by the protagonist who embodies typically Protestant virtues such as capitalist enterprenurship and individualism, as well as a very specific understanding of crime and punishment.
These traits are portrayed by 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld in her first major film role and her first Oscar nomination. Her performance is impressive, particularly because she is more convincing than her predecessor Kim Darby, who played teenage Mattie as a 22-year-old.
Jeff Bridges, whose Oscar campaign was preemptively doomed due to having already fulfilled his quota with Crazy Heart, is adequate but still overshadowed by the great "Duke." The rest of the cast is largely wasted in minor or not particularly memorable roles. The end result is solid but somewhat "overhyped" by critics—a film that suffers from being a remake but also shows that remakes make more sense when they are based on material older than forty years.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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