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The Coen Brothers go back in time with “True Grit,” a fine vintage western infused with the brilliant duo’s dry wit and bluntly curbed sentiment.
Not so much a remake, but a second adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel, the film re-teams its makers with “No Country for Old Men” star Josh Brolin and “Big Lebowski” star Jeff Bridges, who steps into the role that netted John Wayne an Oscar in the 1969 original. As the aging, unruly Marshal “Rooster” Cogburn, Bridges is joined by fiery newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, whose 14-year-old Mattie Ross enlists Cogburn’s help to track down Tom Chaney (Brolin), the coward who shot and killed her father.
Also along for the ride is LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a peacockish Texas Ranger who’s out to capture Chaney for an unrelated crime. Trekking through Indian Territory outside of Fort Smith, Ark., the three iron-willed hunters find their initial antagonism growing into mutual admiration, and in the search for her father’s killer, Mattie finds two unlikely father figures.
The almost accidentally funny banter among the principal players unfurls loads of character development, providing each with ample backstory and human dimensions. That’s one of the great things about Coen Brothers films: There’s always the sense that a big, wide world exists far beyond what appears in the frame, thanks to rich atmosphere and expert storytelling. Another common Coen virtue is the keen definition of every person on screen, and “True Grit” is yet one more movie in which even a passing stranger is memorably vivid and wildly expressive.
Of course, the abundance of acting talent calls for hearty praise as well, with Bridges and Damon continuing to garnish their career peaks with solid turns in solid films.
But neither can steal the show away from Steinfeld, who’s second only to “Winter’s Bone” star Jennifer Lawrence as the year’s breakout young actress. “I heard you had true grit,” Mattie says to Cogburn when they first meet. Plucky, precocious and dazzlingly professional, Steinfeld has it in spades.
True Grit
PG-13
Three reels out of four
Now playing in area theaters
Recommended Rental
The American
R
Available Tuesday
Americans may be surprised by what they find in “The American,” a pseudo-thriller that stars George Clooney, but is about as European as they come. It’s not for everyone, but this slow-paced character study is shot-by-shot gorgeous, and it recalls the work of both Antonioni and John Frankenheimer. SPR
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