Ok, so this will probably be short and sweet, because the only people who will go to see this flick already know it's gonna be good just like every other Coen Bros movie.The important thing to know going into this movie is that moreso than the actual plot, the film is about relationships and what knowing ONE person can do to change your life. The film on the whole is really about Mattie Ross, played by an amazing up-and-coming young actress named Hailee Steinfeld.
At the time of filming, the girl was only 13-years-old and she's absolutely the best part of the movie for me. This is not to belittle the contributions of Damon, Bridges, Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin, but just to emphasize how outstandingly brilliant she was. The way she talks, the way she holds herself, the direct way she deals with these big bad men is inspiring and she is nothing short of utterly authentic and root-for-able.
Mattie seeks out Bridges' Rooster Cogburn to help her find the man who killed her father (Brolin) and avenge his death. Cogburn becomes her reluctant partner in this quest, also aided by a too-hung-up-on-himself Texas Ranger (played by Damon) LaBeouf, who will NOT take no for an answer.
The action is concise and well-filmed in this movie, but it is by no means what the film relies upon. By way of being a character study of Mattie herself, we also get to see the souls of the two men who attempt to protect her. Mattie reminds LaBeouf that life is about more than just catching bad men. You have to catch them for the right reasons, which should not include notoriety and personal achievement. She reawakens Rooster's soul by giving him something to live for and reminding him that he used to be a man who stood for something. She dragged his reluctant ass out of the bottom of the bottle he was dying in and kicked him square in the balls...(theoretically).
Josh Brolin is harshly underused in this film and is really nothing more than a dumb gun for hire. The surprise for me was Barry Pepper as the uniquely intelligent and philosophical gang head honcho. Why he would need a man like Tom Chaney in his crew is beyond me. Tom is quite like a child, almost a bumbling Lennie Small kind of character, just without the good intentions.
You need to know that this movie is a very respectful homage to the original True Grit. Bridges especially plays directly off of the way John Wayne characterized Rooster. There are whole sections of the film that are nearly word for word and shot for shot the same as its predecessor, but it doesn't come across as hackneyed or that this was overtly TRYING to look like the OG.
The film is a remake in the truest sense of the word, and I definitely think having seen the original will allow you to appreciate this one in a grander sense, though, since it is SO close you can also get away with not seeing it and drawing all your conclusions based on this film. It is a western in the truest sense, in that not a LOT actually happens but what does is very measured and important. The film isn't slow by any means, but the gunfights are few and far between, as well they should be.
I think the ending may alienate some people, but it really just reinforces what (and who) the film was about from the beginning. Bridges and the Coen Brothers will get you in the door for this flick, but I guarantee Steinfeld is the one you'll be thinking about coming out of it. I really can't wait to see more from this young actress.
