Have you seen True Grit? I have. Both, actually, though I do admit it’s been some years since I’ve seen the original starring John Wayne. Rooster Cogburn was the only roll he ever played for which he won an Oscar. That makes this kind of a touchy subject, I think, for many people. That’s why we keep hearing things like, “The two aren’t comparable.” It’s because we would feel guilty for even thinking of leaving Johnny high and dry.
Hey, I’m in the same boat, folks! You see, despite my relative youth, I grew up on westerns—courtesy of my dad and TBS’s obsession with Clint Eastwood and “The Duke” marathons. Typical westerns portray the good guy being good and the bad guys being bad. (Big Country probably did this the best without making the character too flat; then again, Gregory Peck was the lead, and he can do no wrong.) Some though, like True Grit, show the good guy not always being good, and in fact, he might very well be a bad guy who just happens to believe what he’s doing is for the best. It’s a very complex character and plot, and John Wayne pulled it of admirably and deserved every ounce of his Oscar.
But if I’m completely honest with myself—and ignore the taboo of liking a remake more than an original—I have to say I love the new one. And the more I think about it, the more I love it. The acting is incredible. Jeff Bridges—who takes on the unenviable job of showing up die-hard Wayne fans—is every bit an unsavory but somehow lovable character his predecessor was. But with Hailee Steinfeld (who plays Mattie Ross like she was born for the roll) and Matt Damon (LaBoeuf) at his side, the acting so obviously beats the original that to think of Kim Darby as Mattie almost makes you embarrassed for her.
On top of the acting, the look and feel of the remake is classic Cohen brothers, which is a very good thing. Yet, it’s one of those things that some people feel detracts from the movie: I’ve heard it said that the biggest action scene in the movie (a head-on charge between Cogburn and Lucky Ned’s band of outlaws) is underdone in the remake and therefore more exciting in the original. I say backing off the action and shooting much of that scene from the view of LaBoeuf and Mattie up on a cliff was an excellent idea. It downplays Cogburn’s as a stereotypical hero on a white horse—which he’s not, so that’s good. This also allows his truest heroism to be the many miles he carries a delirious, snake-bitten Mattie to help.
I am often skeptical of remakes—I’m a not-broke, don’t-fix kinda girl all in all—but had I known such a remake of True Grit could be made I would have been calling for it long ago.
3 comments:
I haven't seen the new one but it seems it is more true to the book. I think you would like the book. I just finished it yesterday.
That's kind of what I heard about it too. I probably would, I may add it to my list, along with a couple others I just turned up!
I grew up on Wayne westerns {and all the military movies, too} because my dad was a huge fan! True Grit was always one of my favorites. When Dan told me they were doing a re-make I was skeptical because, really, how do you remake John Wayne? But with your review, now I'm intrigued to go see it. We'll have to watch the original, though, since Dan hasn't seen it yet {*gasp!* yes, it's true}.
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