True Grit (2010, PG-13)

For the movies of 2010, the critics consensus was that 2010 was a rather weak movie year.  I think that I'm one of the few who will argue against that.  No doubt, there were a lot of rather poor quality, weak films, most of which focused on an overbearing weight of action.  Then there were also some good movies.  Toy Story 3, the King's Speech, Inception and True Grit were all neat, very good flicks, movies that were actually worth watching due to their outstanding production value, and the Social Network became an all time great.  I hope that I just made my point.

This is a review for True Grit, which is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year (2010).  It's directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, who have proven to have natural talent for the western, and it stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and newcomer Hailee Steinfield.  

The acting is superb, the direction is fantastic, the cinematography is top notch, and the screenplay is so well written.  Surprisingly, this is a rare remake that surprasses the original.  In this case, the original is the 1969 film, starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell and Kim Darby.  I think that everyone knows how Wayne got recognition for his acting career in winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in his role of the one-eyed, tough, fat and fearless US Marshall Rooster Cogburn.  In my honest opinion, Bridges actually ousted the Duke, a rare feat to achieve, and I think that he deserved the Oscar over Colin Firth (for his role in the King's Speech) for Best Actor as well.  Damon is easily better then the goof of Campbell, I'm not so sure that Pepper could take down Robert Duvall, but Steinfield easily gives the most distinguished performance as Mattie Ross.

This 2010 remake is a better movie then the 1969 version, simply because nearly everything about it: the cinematography, the pacing, the way the narrative is told, the direction and the acting, are all a level higher then the first film.  The 1969 True Grit is a pretty good movie.  In fact, I consider it to be one of Wayne's superior westerns.  This True Grit is a superior western on it's own, a rare thing to accomplish these days considering that the western is practically dead in Hollywood.

True Grit is entertaining, engaging, at time humorous, and alive with plenty of action and shootouts.  The Coen's tell the story simply so well.  At two hours, the movie is superbly, evenly paced, and beautifully filmed against the backdrop of the mountains.

I still don't know if True Grit will take it's place as one of the Coen brothers better movies.  Most of their movies have all been critically acclaimed, including this one, but many critics and people alike, although enjoying the movie, have ranked it at a lower level then previous Coen outings.  This is a more mobile Coen brothers movie, as the PG-13 rating should extend to a higher range of audiences, and yet I am getting the bad feeling that die-hard Coen brothers fans may yet be disappointed.  So, in that aspect, it comes off as a surprise that True Grit doesn't feel like the great cinematic achievement it could have been.

True Grit is a movie that reminds me why we go to the theaters any more.  It also reminds me what the western genre is all about, echoing back to the westerns classics from the 50s through the 70s.  If your not a fan of the western genre, and I know many people who are, you should at least like True Grit for what it is.  And what it is is a sublime and highly satisfactory western that we can relate to even by today's modern standards.

                           **** ½ /5