DVD Release
***/**** (3.5 stars)
After her father is murdered, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross persuades the notorious Rooster Cogburn to help her track down the killer.
The Mattie Ross character is quite endearing, and brilliantly acted by Hailee Steinfeld; seeing her stomp around town, out-witting her elders and bartering for the best deal is amusing and indeed one of the major strengths of this film comes from Steinfeld's pitch-perfect performance. Jeff Bridges doesn't really act at all, as Rooster Cogburn is just one of the many tough, smart-mouthed parts that he has played in his lifetime... it would have been good for him to speak a little more clearly however. Matt Damon is doomed to a rather dull and underdeveloped character in Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, but all the characters bounce off each other quite well, with various scenes of bickering and gun-toting fuelling their inevitable friendships. It is an attractive film - the camera makes full use of the massive skies and large expanses of open space, making the area feel very 'wild' indeed.
It's a solidly made film, and there is nothing wrong with it visually, or in terms of acting or plot, but it just seems to be missing an extra something. It isn't unenjoyable, just not particularly exciting - Westerns are supposed to be daring and have moments of suspense alongside shoot-outs and horse riding, but this remake lacks these engaging scenes. Also, the idea of redemption is over-egged to the point of sickening cliche - that somehow both these hardened, battle-weary men suddenly find a reason to align themselves with good after spending just a few days with Mattie is ridiculous. Mattie similarly goes from one man to the other saying, 'I was wrong about you' as different elements of their past and character come to light. Also, the bad guys are literally only in it for about 20 minutes. For someone who gets a name-check on the poster, Josh Brolin does decidedly little and is barely on screen. His 'bad-guy' presence is overshadowed completely by Barry Pepper, playing the ring-leader, who does all the talking and inhabits the character very well. (I think Barry Pepper is a very fine actor and cruelly overlooked by most audiences and critics... just so you know). It is amusing, but not consistently so - tragedy and comedy exist side by side and yet it cannot be described as a tragicomedy. There are definitely some chortles to be had, especially where Rooster Cogburn is concerned, but really the script is fairly bland, which is unusual from the Coen Brothers.
So, a perfectly acceptable way of whiling away a couple of hours, but don't expect anything other than the basics in terms of plot and character. It's an easy watch, and tells you exactly how you should feel at any given point, so if you've had a hard day and want something that won't test you, this wouldn't be a bad choice.
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