Tagline: Punishment comes one way or another.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Plot: Rooster Cogburn helps head strong Mattie Ross hunt for her daddy’s killer Tom Chaney in the remake of a John Wayne classic,
My Take: Only recently have I really gotten in to the old time westerns. The Good the Bad the Ugly, True Grit, Fist Full of Dollars all classics for their no hold bar anything goes look at the old west. The directorial style each one had was for the time so dramatic and made them really entertaining as you had the close up of the faces during the classic gunslinger duels, the close up of the twitchy fingers as they wait to draw the pistols, and let’s not forget the acting. Now the acting plays a big role in the old time westerns, just about anyone can replicate a horse back gun duel, or 2 men standing in the dirt covered road of the town with spectators running for the safety of their homes as high noon approaches. But sadly no one has really been able to really draw upon the acting that makes a really good western, well not since Tombstone.
Being a huge a fan of the original (and no im not going to really compare the two and the reason is, its not fair to compare essentially someone else vision to another’s. And I think that’s why remakes get a bad rap because they do compare to them to the original….but ill save that for another time). But I will say this, the dialogue is almost identical to the original, the quips and intense dialogue still the same. There were some scenes added and taken out from the remake that honestly didn’t hinder the story or alter it….it made the story run smoothly. The story of Mattie Ross journey for revenge with Cogburn is well done the dialogue between the two flows so naturally a beat is never missed. The way the Coen brothers captured the action and the dramatic scenes make this movie really stand out amongst a lot of the recent westerns made.
But what made this movie so…intense was the each actor portrayed every character. Lets start with Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn, he played as a gritty, fearless man who loved his whiskey. His delivery in lines and stature as portrayed by Bridges will make you laugh but also make you feel the intensity and seriousness that is Rooster Cogburn. Next we have La Boeuf played by Matt Damon, The portrayal of La Boeuf was well-done in that he is Cogburn polar opposite. He is a Texas ranger and lives the honor of one often reciting ranger code, Damon plays him straight always clashing heads with Cogburn and ultimately coming to his aid and “proving himself.” Next we have Tom Chaney played by Josh Brolin. You don’t see much of Brolin till third quarter of the film. And you get the feeling he there is something off with him not necessarily evil but corrupt in some way. Brolyn played it nicely, he gave the character a dirty look of the killer on the run that would do anything to stay free and clear of the law, with the line deliver and swagger to boot…but you still liked him. Finally we come to the lady who stole the movie Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld. She is a very head strong stubborn young woman, she is smart and knows how to play the game per say. She can talk herself into and out of just about anything. Her determination and will is very well portrayed and you cant but fall in love with her character. She gives the movie the heart and the balance it needs to have.
Memorable Quotes: Mattie Ross: I won't rest until Tom Chaney's barking in hell.
Mattie Ross: Now I know you can drink whiskey and I saw you kill a rat, but all the rest has been talk. I'm not paying for talk. I can get all the talk I need at the Monarch Boarding House.
Rooster Cogburn: I ought to paddle your rump!
Mattie Ross: I don't know how you propose to do that from that hog wallow you're sunk into. If I smelled as bad as you I wouldn't live near people.
Memorable Moments: Tree branch hanger
The cabin with the 2 criminals and one was injured
The final horse duel
The Snake bite rescue
Final Thought: As mentioned at the beginning I have not seen a western this intense with great writing and a camera work since Tombstone. And I haven’t been this enthralled in a movie since Dirty Harry . So Saddle up your horse cook up some beans, and ride yourself to the local movie saloon and be prepared for a journey only the Coen brothers and the Wild West can give you
I give it 5 Cherry Cheese Danish’s
