A True Surprise

For someone who claims not to like movies by the Coen brothers, you have to wonder why I keep seeing them. And yet, there were enough other factors going in favor of True Grit that I decided to check it out.

Trend officially bucked. This is far and away my favorite of the Coen brothers films I've seen, a truly entertaining movie. I've never seen the original John Wayne film, so I can offer no basis of comparison there. But I can mention some of the strong points this version has going for it.

Chief among them is the quality of the dialogue. Some of it ranks right up there with the best from an episode of Deadwood (minus the colorful swearing). The three main characters -- especially the young girl Mattie -- all have solid wits, distinct ways of speaking, and clever turns of phrase. I've seen my share of comedies where the audience doesn't laugh out loud as much as they did as I watched True Grit.

Then there's the great acting. There's been a little talk about Jeff Bridges again giving an award worthy performance, and I think that's a reasonable claim. It's also not surprising to find another strong turn by Matt Damon. Josh Brolin is also good, though his role as the villain means he doesn't even enter the picture until the final act.

But the real revelation is the almost totally unknown Hailee Steinfeld, as the young girl who leads the hunt against the man who killed her father. She goes toe to toe with award-winning actors and easily keeps up with them. Her character is strong and likeable, as is she.

All that said, it's a very predictable story. Just knowing that this movie is based on a decades old story tells you everything; it simply can't end any other way and be of that time. Nevertheless, I'd call it well worth seeing, perhaps even if you're not particularly a fan of Westerns. I give it a solid B.