'True Grit' Defies and Entertains

The Coen brothers’ “True Grit,” released on Christmas Day 2010, is a remake of a 1969 movie, itself an adaptation of a 1968 novel. The central plot has persisted: 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) enlists the services of U.S. Marshal Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who killed her father. It is by no means the brothers’ finest film, but is nevertheless a welcome and refreshing addition to their corpus.

Among its many virtues, the movie is superbly cast. Bridges is a perfect choice for the one-eyed, whiskey-swilling Cogburn, a role first played by John Wayne in a Best Actor-winning performance—far from an easy act to follow. It’s hard to believe now that Bridges originally achieved renown as a handsome leading man in the likes of “The Last Picture Show” and “The Fabulous Baker Boys.” He has since discovered a wonderful second career as a hairy, sloppy old guy, from the Coens’ “The Big Lebowski” to last year’s Oscar-winning turn in “Crazy Heart.” He has gracefully aged ungracefully: the anti-Nicolas Cage.

For his own role in “True Grit,” Matt Damon, formerly of the class of ’92, apparently took a lesson in humility and ingenuity from his co-star. Playing brilliantly off-type, he adopts a second chin and a handlebar mustache to become the cartoonish LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger who assists and annoys Cogburn as he endeavors to track down Chaney.

But these men are beside the point. At its heart, “True Grit” is a Bildungsroman about a child who is in many ways already an adult. As Mattie, the pragmatically vengeful daughter, Hailee Steinfeld is transcendent. Much of the pleasure of “True Grit” lies in watching her interact with her world. In one scene, her quietly ferocious negotiating tactics drive a local merchant to distraction; in another, she calmly agrees to spend a night in a coffin among the corpses of a funeral parlor, in the interest of frugality. This author, for one, would buy her future daughters a Mattie Ross American Girl doll.

In her competence and efficacy, Steinfeld’s Mattie brings to mind Marge Gunderson, the character that won Frances McDormand an Oscar in the Coen brothers’ “Fargo.” Despite their obvious vulnerability—Mattie’s youth and Marge’s pregnancy—both women operate on an entirely different level from those around them.

Don’t dismiss the buzz around Hailee Steinfeld as the sheer novelty of youth in a major role—“So many lines to memorize! So much school to miss!”—for hers is a truly nuanced and memorable performance. To cast Mattie Ross, the Coens held an international open casting call, and Steinfeld was chosen from a pool of 15,000.

Happily, Steinfeld has enjoyed the acclaim she deserves. Yet most of the awards and accolades she has garnered so far—including an Oscar nomination—are in the category of Supporting Actress, despite the fact that Mattie Ross seems an incontrovertibly leading role. This is because, as a general rule, child performers are restricted to the Supporting category, regardless of their screen time—with the notable exception of Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was nominated for Best Actress for “Whale Rider” at the age of fourteen. As Natalie Portman remains the Best Actress favorite for “Black Swan,” Steinfeld may very well benefit from her inclusion in a less competitive category.

But beyond its sterling performances, “True Grit” is particularly satisfying for one reason: although Joel and Ethan Coen have crafted a faithful Western, they refuse to rely on standard archetypes of the genre. The movie is populated not with larger-than-life cowboys, but strange, flawed, and contradictory characters. The leader of a posse of outlaws turns out to be protective of Mattie, while the primary antagonist, Tom Chaney, proves dumb to the point of absurdity. Mattie is never reduced to a damsel in distress, nor does she emerge from her quest unscathed. For all her strength, she is still a child: “I do not drink coffee,” she pointedly informs Ned Pepper (played by the appropriately surnamed Barry Pepper), “I am fourteen.”

In “True Grit,” we are offered a version of the West that is stylized yet fittingly gritty. Just as they do visual justice to the setting’s exquisite landscapes, the Coen brothers pay characteristic attention to regionally informed speech patterns. Mattie’s clipped, matter-of-fact formality is complemented by Rooster’s dusty drawl. When an attorney asks Cogburn how many men he has shot in the line of duty, the Marshal seeks morbid clarification: “Shot, or killed?” The movie is not a comedy, but—like much of the Coens’ work—is infused with dry, deadpan flair.

With “True Grit,” the Coen brothers have, not for the first time, produced a genre movie that defies its genre, filled with unconventional characters played by unlikely actors. It may not be their best work, but it is certainly some of the best work this year.

—Staff writer Molly O. Fitzpatrick can be reached at fitzpat@fas.harvard.edu.