2010 WesternRating: 16/20 (Jen: 19/20)
Plot: The guy in that one Coen Brothers' movie killed another guy, one we never see but who was more than likely in at least one Coen Brothers' movie. His daughter wants vengeance. She wants it bad! So she finds a tough guy with an eyepatch, the guy who was in that one Coen Brothers' movie, and hires him to take care of business. A guy who has never been in a Coen Brothers' movie but who was in another movie with a guy who was in a Coen Brothers' movie tags along because he's been looking for the guy who was in the one Coen Brothers' movie for a very long time. A guy who looks like a bear shows up later.
Nice traditional, old-school Wild West action here, shaded with the Brothers' dark humor, offbeat characters, and stylized ultraviolence. Cause nobody just gets stabbed in the chest or shot in the head in a Coen Brothers' movie. They create big moments whenever their characters get theirs, moments that are oft-graphic, sometimes blackly humorous, and almost always thrilling. There's almost a coldness to their death scenes, and the poor characters pass to the next world without dignity. That's not a criticism, by the way. And the next worlds that most of these characters will inhabit probably aren't going to be a very nice one, like where the Care Bears live. No, most of these characters are going to end up in some dusty purgatory where their scars will itch. Being a Coen Brothers' movie, there are certain things you can just expect walking in: a great meaty script with lots of humorous things for the characters to say, stunning visual storytelling, and a few moments you'll want to talk about later. You know, like guys being shoved into wood chippers. And you get all that, as well as some terrific character acting. Mattie's played by somebody named Hailee Steinfeld, and although she's good, this really isn't her movie. This belongs to Lebowski, and every word he speaks is drenched in tobacco juice and whiskey and broken glass and filth. Bridges' Rooster is that type of character who is very funny without making any effort at all to be funny. You have to love Bridges' versatility. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are also good, and the rest of the supporting cast, sometimes only on the screen for a few odd moments, help color in the Coens' askew vision of the Wild West. What I didn't expect walking into a Coen Brothers' movie: a heavy-handed Hollywoody score (I'll have to hear it again actually; Jen says it's a nod to the classics of the genre, and I think it could help with the myth making.) and such a traditional, simple story. The latter was no problem. What bugged me was the end where simple was thrown out of the saloon to make way for a goofy and unlikely denouement where a few too many things happen. As with all Coen Brothers' movies, I look forward to seeing this again.
Jen and I made a rare trip to the theater to see this one. We saw previews for a movie that must be based on the old Rockin' Robots toy and a movie about Neil Armstrong finding Transformers on the moon. Jen leaned over during both and (too loudly) said, "I am all over that! Booyah!"
8 comments:
Just went and saw this today, at first the score was off-putting then I realized it was a total 40's 50's western score and I dug it. I loved this movie. Yeah the tag at the end, I didn't like the actress. Her lips weren't right. Loved this movie as I knew I would.
Have you seen the John Wayne version?
I liked a lot of things about this film, and its the first Coen Brothers movie I have seen since Intolerable Cruelty where I left the theatre without feeling cheated. The Coens have gotten into this rather annoying habit of having abrupt, unsatisfying endings, and even though they continue that trend with True Grit, at least there was some closure and explanations given.
Things I liked.
The girl..great job there.
The relationships between Cogburn and everyone he comes across.
The humor...very good humor.
Bridges..very much a character here. I did get drawn into the "Oh thats Jeff Bridges" a bit but he did a good job of being Rooster Cogburn.
Things that I kind of did not like.
The dialog. Here was my biggest problem with this film. Everyone talks the same. The girl, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin...they all have that exaggerated, flowery speech. Everyone was a sophisticate.....its highly distracted, even when its used to good humor. (The scenes between the girl and the guy who she is selling ponies to, for example.)
Matt Damon...I never bought him as a ranger, or being from Texas, or anything.....Maybe its the part, because in the original Glen Campbell was the weakest part of that movie.
As stated before, the ending could have been handled better....but it wasnt too bad. Certainly not as egregious as A Serious Man or No Country For Old Men.
I give this one a 15...maybe even a 16. It was better than I thought it was going to be.
You're probably right about the dialogue. I had a problem with it, too. But really that was only a problem when the girl was in town. Once they're out and about, there's not so much unrealistic dialogue.
I didn't really mind Matt Damon at all.
Funny, but the dialogue, or more accurately their speech patterns were my favorite part (even if I agree about the realism issue). Besides the script and the girl(she's terrific), I prefer the original in every way. Wayne owned the role. When I watch Bridges, I see him playing the role. He's a Wayne wannabe. I also didn't buy Damon, and Brolin's portrayal was a little strange. Most of all, I hated the ending. The Coen's do seem to be going out of their way to make every ending a downer, or confusing. What we are left with is an unhappy, anti-social prude who never again saw either savior (why?), never had a family, and is and always will be alone. So glad those guys risked their lives for her. And don't get me started on the poor horse. The darkness of the ending made the film a pointless exercise in remaking a great western. A 14.
What was confusing about the ending?
Glen...Campbell...
New version's got more style, better music, better scenery, more funk, and yes, a better lead performance. Dude > Duke
This one fit in the downer catagory. "A Simple Man" and "No Country For Old men" fit in the confusing catagory. I totally disagree with the Bridges view. Wayne was a natural in the role. Bridges was an imitation. This one may have looked a little better and was shot well, but not enough to make up for it's deficiencies.
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