The ‘Dude’ becomes ’The Duke’…

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon & Josh Brolin

Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Screenplay by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Plot:

A tough old stubborn U.S Marshall helps a young girl track down her father’s murderer.

Verdict:

The last time the ridiculously consistent Coen Brothers found themselves in remake territory, the end result was far from their usual high standards. There re-telling of the British comedy classic The Ladykillers stands as the one dip in form amongst their glowing CV. Thankfully though, Joel and Ethan’s latest picture, True Grit actually does the opposite, bettering the original film and staying very faithful to the original Charles Portis novel first published back in 1968.

Said novel is the key to the Coen’s success here. Back in 2008, The Coen’s wonderful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men achieved similar results because of the way they absorbed McCarthy into there own DNA. The same can be said here with the widely unknown Portis’ wry humour a perfect fit for the Coen’s way with dialogue. It really is the dialogue that sings here, from Mattie Ross bargaining with a horse trader to Rooster Cogburn telling tales of his ex-wife.

By staying faithful to the novel, this version of True Grit is very much told from the point of view of 14-year-old Mattie Ross who hires U.S Marshall Rooster Cogburn to track down and bring to justice the man who shot her father dead. The original 1969 film is very similar in fact but John Wayne’s towering performance couldn’t help but give the impression the film was driven by his character more. Still, it’s worth pointing out that Kim Darby’s original portrayal of Ross was still very good under the circumstances. 13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld’s breakout performance this time out however is most certainly worth shouting about. The young actress wraps her lips around the potentially difficult dialogue with considerable ease and delivers a steely performance with subtle hints of sadness.

Jeff Bridges fits the role of Rooster Cogburn perfectly, nailing the double toughness and rusted nobility of the character. Elsewhere, Matt Damon fairs well as the cocky La Beouf (pronounced “La Beef”) clearly enjoying himself in a role that wasn’t so well cast in the original film. Josh Brolin pops up in one of his small but effective roles as the wanted Tom Chaney and Barry Pepper is perfectly cast as the ruthless outlaw Lucky Ned Pepper.

Once again, Roger Deakins outdoes himself with his lush cinematography and the score from Carter Burwell is beautifully handled. Both these elements combine brilliantly for Rooster’s rousing two-gun, reins-in-his-teeth showdown with Pepper’s posse, a scene which allows ‘The Dude’ to pay full tribute to ‘The Duke’ (”Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!”) in fine style.

If you love the Coen’s, True Grit will instantly become your new favourite movie but even if you don’t, theirs still a good chance you will enjoy it all the same, it is that good and simply stands as yet another masterpiece from cinema’s finest writing/directing partnership.

Written by Daniel Cummings