Western union

Film Review: True Grit

MANILA, Philippines - Leave it to the Coen Brothers to take a Charles Portis story, True Grit, that had already been turned into a film decades ago (1969), with John Wayne winning his only Oscar for his marshall/bounty hunter Rooster Cogburn portrayal, and turning it into something fresh and new. The new adaptation, more faithful to the book, is among the 10 Best Film nominees of this year’s Oscars, and in fact, enjoys 10 nominations including Best Director, Best Actor (Jeff Bridges as Rooster) and Best Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld, who portrays the 14-year-old Mattie). While some may treat it as a traditional Western, there’s enough of the Coen Brothers treatment to give the film its edge and spunk. In the cast, we also find Matt Damon as a Texas Ranger, and Josh Brolin as the object of Rooster’s and Mattie’s manhunt.

Mattie Ross’ father has been murdered and the fugitive (Tom Chaney) has escaped into Indian territory. Leaving her mother, sister and brother back home, Mattie goes to pick up the body of her father and attempts to find a bounty hunter to help her bring Chaney to justice. A Texas Ranger also shows up, as he has been following Chaney over a murder in Texas. While the Ranger hopes to join forces with Maddie and Rooster, they have ideas of their own and the friction that exists between all three protagonists form part of the film’s dynamic. A revenge story with a 14-year-old- girl stuck in the middle is what made this such a unique story and film adaptation. And while the basic elements of a Western — the shootout, horse-riding, camping in the rough outdoors, Indians and snakes — are all accounted for, what sets this film apart is the more than rich characters that populate the screen and make watching such a treat!

If the Coens’ Fargo had Frances McDormand’s unforgettable law enforcement officer, with True Grit, we have Hailee’s Mattie and Jeff’s Rooster. With Jeff, we’ve come to expect nothing less than an Oscar-worthy performance when the character is as ornery and individual as a Rooster Cogburn! But it’s Hailee, first narrating the film as an adult, and us viewing her as a 14-year-old, that “steals” the film. Hailee’s mother has some Filipino ancestry, so guess who I’ll be rooting for when the Oscars Velvet telecast comes around next week! In more ways than one, it’s Mattie who really “cements” the film, giving it a perspective that’s endearing yet spunky of childlike wonder yet precocious. Her repartee with the adult world that surrounds her gives us much of the film’s initial humor and pathos. And when in the final coda, we see Mattie as an adult, her narration of what transpires after the events of the main body of the film, elevates the story to one of tragic proportions, and serves as an elegy for the Western.