True Grit (2010). Ethan Coen and Joel Coen directed and wrote this western proper based on a 1969 novel of the same title by Charles Portis.
Just going from a handful of Coen movies I've seen so far – Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), Burn After Reading (2008) – I'd say the Coen brothers do a mean job at creating characters which are as original as they are relatable, not to mention that they are expert at painting the local colour.
In True Grit the Coen brothers dropped their guard – albeit slightly – and allowed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (older and washed-out, Jeff Bridges) and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (younger and stalwart, Matt Damon) to come over as stereotypical and cartoonish. Watching the interplay between Cogburn and LaBoeuf you kind of recognize what they aimed for, but that they had just missed the mark.
Cogburn and LaBoeuf are trying to track down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) though Cogburn is in employment of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) and LaBoeuf of the Texas Rangers. Ross is out to avenge her father's death and, at 14 years of age, displays a precociousness that's pushing it – even for the Wild West.
Brolin's Chaney, though given only a bit part, rings more true, as does his boss Lucky Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper), who steals the show actually. Both Brolin and especially Pepper look suitably haggard and make the most of their limited screen time by layering their characters.
Keep an eye out for Bear Man (Ed Corbin), the Tom Bombadil of the Wild West, who has no other purpose, apparently, other than looking magnificent.
(Running time: 110 minutes)
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