The Coen Brothers next project is one of their most intriguing yet, a remake of the 1969 classic True Grit. Normally I am outraged over the idea of a remake, especially of a movie I know and love. Add in the fact that the original comes from the John Wayne collection, and this could be an unfortunate combination. However, this project has a lot of factors going in it’s favor.
Even though True Grit was the movie that earned John Wayne his Oscar, it is certainly not his finest performance. Director Henry Hathaway even has better pure westerns among his filmography; The Sons of Katie Elder and How the West was Won. Add that to the fact that it is the Coen Brothers. Despite the lackluster reboot of The Ladykillers in 2004, the Coens know how to put together a great movie, especially as of late it seems. Plus, this is the kind of material they thrive on. The original story is very compelling; A young girl sets out to find the man who murdered her father. And there is humor sprinkled throughout, especially in the interaction among the characters. It has been said by Ethan Coen that their version will remain truer to the book, which is grittier, more violent, and even funnier, as Ethan believes. I had a lot of faith in the Coen Brothers and this project when I first heard about it. Then the Coen Brothers convinced me when the casting news came out.
Casting:
Part Original Remake
Rooster Cogburn John Wayne Jeff Bridges
Mattie Ross Kim Darby Hailee Steinfeld
La Boeuf Glen Campbell Matt Damon
Tom Chaney Jeff Corey Josh Brolin
Emmett Quincy Jeremy Slate
Lucky Ned Pepper Robert Duvall
Moon Dennis Hopper
The idea of Jeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn is perfect, I believe. I do not think there is anyone else who could be better suited for the role. As long as he plays more towards the serious side, with less of a Lebowski-esque rebelliousness, then I expect it will make everybody happy. I love the casting of Matt Damon as La Boeuf, another great choice. Josh Brolin as the bad guy makes sense also, but it shouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him back with the brothers. I am sure that some of the smaller roles will be filled in nicely by members of the Coen Clique. Maybe J.K. Simmons as Mr. Ross, Stephen Root as the horse trader or Lawyer Daggett, and Richard Jenkins for good measure. In the original Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper played some very interesting minor characters, and I’m sure that the Coens’ can match that kind of level. Also, casting the relatively unknown Hailee Steinfeld is a good move for the movie. There are no real notable young actresses today that would really fit into this character’s mold, other than maybe Saoirse Ronan, and we have seen the ability of the Coen brother to work with relative unknowns.
All of this together adds up to a winning combination for the Coen’s True Grit. I look forward to this movie. Filming is set to begin this month and the release date is set for Christmas of this year.
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