I grew up watching Westerns, taking after my grandfather and my father who loved the genre. There were Sunday afternoons when gunshots and southern American accents would wake me up from my naps. And my grandfather and my dad would go back and forth on their own commentary for each film. My grandfather, who knew very little of the English language, never shied away from giving his best attempts at repeating the speeches and catch phrases of his heroes.
When I watched The Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit, I was quickly taken back to those quiet afternoons. This is a different kind of Western from what I was used to seeing growing up, as the Coen brothers – to be more accurate with Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the same title – restored the story’s female figure, Mattie Ross’ centrality in the film rather than focusing on the one-eyed bounty hunter Marshal Rooster Cogburn (played by John Wayne in the 1969 film version and played here by Jeff Bridges).
Fourteen-year old (at the time) Hailee Steinfeld’s performance as Mattie is unforgettable. Instead of the debauch roles we often see women play in Westerns, Mattie gives a naturally-commanding presence, taking you on a quest usually reserved for men.
Portrayed as the dark-haired girl with long, thick pigtails, clad in her dead father’s oversized coat and hat, Mattie’s righteous and earnest determination directs the lives of those who ride with her on her journey. And in her quest to avenge the murder of her father, she sets right and inspires her peers, whose moral virtues have gone astray.
I love the look and feel of the sets and the soft pastoral-like piano playing in the background through each scene. This was also a chance for me to revisit those places in Fort Smith, Arkansas I had a chance to see when my girlfriend and I visited her family there.
The wintry images and scenes can be harsh and cold to watch, but that’s the spirit of the wilderness around the characters, emblematic of the order and revenge Mattie is determined to fulfill.