True Grit

Despite all their success, and the majority of their films being great, the Coen brothers are still an acquired taste for some people. Leaving aside any comparisons with the 1969 film, will this convert any unbelievers? The storyline concerns a young girl Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) and her hiring of US Marshall Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) in order to track down the murderer of her father. They are soon joined by a Texas Ranger LaBeouf (Matt Damon) who himself is after the murderer, but for different reasons. Despite the storyline and the usual Coen scenes of sudden violence, this is in effect a buddy movie as the three main protagonists bicker and banter their way across the plains, providing some decent laughs as they go along. As you would expect Bridges is great, but his drawling accent at the start of the film will probably have you reaching for the subtitles option when you come to watching this on DVD. Damon himself is also good, but seems a bit confused as to what kind of character he’s meant to be playing. That aside his banter with Bridges is great, though Steinfeld, understandably, gets sidetracked quite a bit because of it. As you’d imagine the film is fantastically lit and shot, and is so authentic you can almost taste the grit and dirt in your mouth. So with so many plus points, this must be another Coen classic right? Sadly, not. The problem is that despite a few action scenes very little actually happens and the storyline just doesn’t grip as it should. Interestingly enough this is probably the most “straight” film the Coen’s have done for some time, i.e. the quirkiness factor barely registers and the film does seem to be missing their usual eccentricities. So, in answer to the original question, no, this won’t convert any Coen fence sitters, but it’s still a decent film for the rest of us, if well below their usually high bar of quality.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

An average Coen brothers film, still means an above average film. Rating: 7/10.