Although True Grit is a remake of the 1969 classic starring John Wayne, make no mistake: This is not your parents' Western. The Coen Brothers have given us a dire but beautifully told tale full of peril, disillusionment and ugliness. Intentionally, it is unpolished and full of flawed characters that survive because they must grudgingly rely on each other, an undertaking that demands the sheer strength of will that lends the title its "grit." This combination of gruff camaraderie and steely resolve is perhaps what makes this one of the most beautiful, inspiring films of 2010.
Mattie Ross (Hailie Steinfeld), an incurably obstinate 14-year-old, recently has lost her father at the hands of fugitive Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). She single-handedly browbeats Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), the most vicious U.S. Marshal in town, to chase Chaney down. They set off on a journey across rugged terrain to find the outlaw and bring him to justice.
At first glance, the film seems to be a straightforward Western with the usual daredevil cast and the typical revenge-seeking exploits. Grit stands out from the pack, however, by sustaining a sense of authenticity. While viewers could not help but feel exhilarated whenever the trio engaged in daring campaigns across the wilderness, there was an undertone of realism that kept the characters' experiences from straying too far into escapist territory.
The closest Grit comes to becoming overindulgent is when it depicts violence. The hardened characters sustain excruciating, even crippling, wounds during their journey. Fingers are sliced off in full view, Matt Damon's Laboeuf very nearly bites off his tongue and subsequently has to endure Rooster probing his raw bloody mouth with his hand. Against the film's rough setting, however, the graphic violence comes off as matter-of-fact rather than gratuitous.
The characters themselves are hardly pretty. Although Jeff Bridges' Rooster is an appealingly wry figure, he can also be pathetic, as he is a potbellied alcoholic and a lousy shot. Despite his constant bragging, Texas Ranger Labeouf is ineffectual at best, having come no closer than 300 yards of his bounty before losing him for the umpteenth time. Ironically, Mattie is the most put-together and impressive of the trio, but she is isolated by her rigidity and emotional withdrawal. Indeed, much of Grit's magic comes from the friction between the main characters, specifically Cogburn and Mattie. Their interactions are fraught with bitter arguments, physical violence and a pervasive tension. It takes gumption to overcome the differences between them, and they have plenty of it. And in a strange way, the dysfunctional nature of the three characters is what makes their eventual acquiescence so compelling.
The Coen brothers don't allow themselves to romanticize in a genre known for its dashing cowboys, beautiful belles and gallops into the sunset. They don't ignore the travails that often accompany any grand undertaking, or the imperfect, sometimes broken, people they involve. But despite the characters' inadequacies, together they tell a rousing tale of fellowship and perseverance that isn't cerebral but still impresses.
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