“Most girls like to play pretties, but you like guns, do you?”

Thanks to the heroic babysitting services of my sister-in-law, my wife and I actually got out to the theater and saw The Coen’s True Grit. I think my wife must love me or something, as she knows of my complete and utter love for the western genre. I’d been wanting to see True Grit since long before it opened, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint.

I’ve got enormous fondness for the 1969 original, so I was a little uneasy at the notion of a remake. Joel and Ethan Coen have stayed close to the original source novel by Charles Portis and they’ve delivered a movie that is both very reminiscent of the John Wayne version, but unique and original in its own right. I will always be confused by the Academy Award nomination process. Hailee Steinfeld plays the main character in True Grit, she’s in nearly every scene. So how is she nominated for Best Supporting actress? Mystifying. She’s terrific in the role here and a real discovery. I will probably always be partial to Kim Darby in the Duke version – after all, she was Miri, for cryin’ out loud! – but Steinfeld does a tremendous job, coming on with a full head of steam in the early scenes, gradually realizing that the farther afield she gets with Rooster Cogburn (“he likes to pull a cork!”), the deeper over her head she’s going to find herself. My wife made a pretty shrewd catch that there are a lot of thematic similarities between True Grit and Winter's Bone -- both involve young women on increasingly dark quests to avenge the evil brought upon their now absent fathers, both have to use their wits and fast talking to get themselves out of more than one jam. Nice catch!

Jeff Bridges is terrific as Cogburn – Jeff Lebowski fused with the DNA of a bear who ought to be hibernating. He does a splendid job of evoking a more naturalistic Rooster Cogburn, slovenly, threatening and likeable all at once with a voice like the bottom of a wood stove.

This is a film ripe with phenomenal supporting characters and marvelous dialogue. Dakin Matthews has the difficult task of inhabiting the Strother Martin character from the 1969 film, who finds himself in the unenviable position of having to bargain with the always litigious young Mattie Ross. It’s a classic scene and Matthews somehow nails it, making it his own. It’s a great couple of scenes.

Matt Damon is a solid improvement on Glen Campbell, making Texas Ranger LaBoeuf a wonderfully uptight and self-righteous foil against Cogburn and Mattie. I was particularly impressed with Barry Pepper, playing Lucky Ned Pepper -- the character was first played by Robert Duvall and Pepper does a wonderful job of making the antagonist more than just a stock villain. He nails every moment he’s onscreen.

The Coens pull out all the stops, but nothing ever feels gimmicky or forced. In a lot of ways, this is one of their most mature pictures. They must have a lot of affection for the genre – they clearly do for these characters. The explosive camera-trickery is reined-in here, with Roger Deakins sumptuous, baroque cinematography carrying us into a landscape that seems increasingly more remote, more fraught with peril. The restraint behind the camera is only meant as a compliment here, as it puts the characters front and center the entire time and in many ways makes True Grit a refreshingly old fashioned kind of movie, the kind you think of when someone bemoans, “They don’t make ‘em like that no more.” The picture has clearly connected beautifully with audiences across a wide slice of ages.

Coming out of the theater, it felt especially sweet to see that the movie was off the marquee as of Friday, meaning we’d caught it on its last night in the theater! Because you don’t get to savor the old west on the big screen too often. No you do not.