Punishment comes one way or another.
A very entertaining film, mainly because of the remarkably gutsy nature of the 14-year old protagonist, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), and her single-minded quest to bring her father's killer to justice and how this determination drives the story forward across a wintry Arizona landscape into a succession of encounters, each potentially life-threatening, propelling the audience along in a transport of expectation and (sometimes audible) delight.
Even people who normally avoid westerns might well enjoy this tale, as it is less a genre piece than a human drama in a historical setting.
Key to this film's success is a master-class in building indirect characterisations through action, down to the Coen brothers' expert scripting. From the moment Mattie Ross steps off the train, her interactions with people build a character of sharp-tongued wit, precocious hard-headed business sense, determination and courage.
The man she is hoping to hire to pursue her father's murderer, US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), is artfully introduced under cross examination in a courtroom trial, painting a picture of a tough, capable but dissolute man, and leaving unresolved the question of whether or not he's a heartless killer of men.
Later, in a brief, almost throwaway, scene (as in Robert Altman's revisionist take on Chandler's classic tale of loyalty and betrayal, "The Long Goodbye", where in an apparently trivial prologue to the main story, Elliott Gould's Philip Marlowe's negotiations with his cat provide in microcosm the key theme of the film), Cogburn and Mattie come across a couple of kids torturing an animal, and the nature of Cogburn's response, funny in isolation, serves to add not insignificant dimension to his character.
The interplay between US Marshall Cogburn and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) as they compete for Mattie's attention and admiration, highlights the debauchery and pragmatism of the former, and the prissy correctness and high-mindedness of the latter, with Mattie left to decide which, if either, is better suited to her purpose.
The film feels absolutely authentic, partly due to the unsanitised grubbiness of some of the more unsavoury characters (unlike the 1969 version, I heard on a podcast, in which John Wayne's Cogburn appeared in relatively well-laundered clothes), but mostly due to the apparent verisimilitude of the dialogue, delivered at speed and without any contractions, and laced with old-fashioned, often biblical, expressions. One of the Coen brothers, speaking on a Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's film review podcast, said at least 90% of the dialogue was from the original source novel.
I have only vague memories of the 1969 version of the film with John Wayne, so l wasn't distracted with mental comparisons between the two versions, and thankfully, the plot was as new for me. Steinfeld is fantastic in the role; Jeff Bridges is marvellous; the supporting cast are uniformly good, notably Dakin Matthews as the double-dealing horse-trader that Mattie outwits.
My only doubt is about Matt Damon: he portrayed a proud man of prissy high-minded nobility well, but I wonder if another actor, perhaps with a more expressive face (Tobey Maguire? James Franco? Andrew Garfield?) could have added more insight. Montgomery Clift, up against Wayne in Red River (and plenty tough in From Here To Eternity), would have made a good contrast to Jeff Bridges.
Wonderful to hear, during the end credits, the unmistakable and eminently suitable voice of Iris DeMent singing the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", from her 2004 album, "Lifeline".
For me, this is certainly an excellent film: at least full price, maybe higher.
- Rating: Exceptional
- When seen: 24 Feb 2011
- Where seen: Cinema
- More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia
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Amendments: Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.
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