A Coen brothers Western based on the John Wayne original, it bristles with manly outlaw behaviour whilst containing a hilariously dark atmosphere and a sentimental plot line.
Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is a determined young girl in search of her father’s killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and she enlists the help of a brutal U.S. Marshall called Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), whose drunken violence is matched only by his incoherence.
Tom Chaney is also being pursued by a Texas Ranger called LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is a bumbling fool, but also a loveable try-hard and stickler for the rules. Together, the three reluctantly join forces in search of Chaney, and embark on a horse-trip across the ominous landscape of the wild west.
The premise is very typical for a western, good chasing evil, bounties, horses, gunfights and drinking, but there are also some very interesting differences. First of all, the relationship between the main characters Mattie, LaBeouf and Rooster is very different from your usual band of goodies, as you have the innocent and resourceful child, a foolish ranger, and an old racist Marshall. Secondly, the film is less about heroism, and more about self preservation, redemption, and revenge.
Being a Coen brothers film, the expectation levels were very high for this film, and it seems they have delivered. The moments of slapstick comedy are literally laugh out loud moments, the character development is perfectly timed to allow the audience a chance to love/hate some of the main players, and the aesthetics are wonderfully creative, making for amazing scenery, a delightful piano score and some brilliant little western towns. Jeff Bridges is superb in his role as Rooster, if you can understand enough of what he says through the southern slur, and his character arc is the most interesting of all. It is important to mention that Hailee Steinfeld is truly magnificent in this movie.
It is quite obvious that this film is a remake, due to the old-fashioned plot structure, but for those who enjoy a good ole western with plenty of frontier antics it is definitely a film that delivers. That is not to say that this film is outdated, the directors have done well to pull it into the new century with complex character development and excellent comedic set-pieces. Some may find that Damon is mis-cast in this film, and I would agree, but he does an admirable job of portraying the clownish ranger.
Watch this if you like: Coen brothers films, westerns, or black comedies.
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