TRUE GRIT

The American Western returns to the big screen with True Grit, a remake of a John Wayne movie done by the Coen Brothers. This time around the result is both quirky and traditional.

The story in True Grit is about revenge, both legal and vigilante. Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a very mature, blunt, and serious 14-year-old girl, is after Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), who killed her father in Arkansas. He fled to the Indian territories, where the law is uninterested in pursuing him. Mattie ignores the calls for her to head home; instead, she (comically) sells off some ponies to hire people to pursue Chaney, capture him, and return him for trial and execution.
Mattie winds up with two very different cowboys. U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) is a mess: old, fat, drunk, and one-eyed. He also has a reputation for being tenacious and more willing to kill a target than let him escape, so Mattie hires him over other candidates. Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) has been pursuing Chaney since the latter killed a Texas senator. LaBoeuf is more civilized than Cogburn, but possibly less experienced. And naturally, Mattie accompanies the two men on the manhunt.

True Grit is a blend of the romantic and realistic. There's a feeling of nostalgia for the West, as the trio travel through scenic terrain through much of the film. Cogburn and LaBoeuf are contrasts of the code of the West: the former is a wreck but gets the job done, while the latter is polished and prideful but may not have much backing him up. At the same time, this movie is very violent, from a public hanging early in the film to numerous scenes of bloodshed that are far from romanticized.

The Coen Brothers bring a few oddball touches to the film -- a wilderness doctor wearing a bearskin for warmth, Mattie's grandmother sharing a bed and stealing the covers -- but this True Grit is, by and large, a traditional Western, complete with dangerous terrain and shoot-outs against incredible odds. The acting is all very good (though young Hailee Steinfeld is given an edge with her serious dialogue over Jeff Daniels' almost clownish drunken buffoon) and the Coen Brothers know how to pace action and create tension. True Grit doesn't redefine the Western, but it's a good journey into the Old West.

Overall grade: B
Reviewed by James Lynch

The Lookout

While some crime dramas focus on the execution of the crime, others are more concerned with the human element and the people involved with the crime. Both elements blend together in The Lookout: how the people get brought into the situation is as significant as the situation itself.

Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a popular high-school hockey star whose reckless driving kills two passengers in his car, injured a third, and leaves him physically and mentally damaged. Four years later, Chris has trouble holding things, trouble remembering things (he keeps a notebook with important things to do), and trouble sequencing -- remembering the order of things as simple as his daily routine. Chris cleans a bank (that won't let him try being a teller), lives with his blind friend Lewis (Jeff Daniels), and dealing with his family. Chris is frustrated that his life has changed so much and feels helpless and angry at his situation.

Chris meets Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode) at a bar, and they seem to hit it off immediately. Gary shares some of Chris' frustrations, listens to him, and even hooks him up with an atttractive lady named Luvlee (Ilsa Fisher). It isn't hard to see that Gary has an ulterior motive, and it soon comes out: Gary and his associates are planning to rob the bank Chris works at, and they want him to help. They need Chris to act as the lookout, warning them if Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) stops by. Gary plays on Chris' feelings of helplessness, offering him a glimpse of a better life: "My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember."

The Lookout does a very good job of drawing us into Chris' world. From his daily recitations of what he does each day ("Once upon a time, I woke up. I took a shower. With soap.") to his frustration with family and friends, Chris is a very real and very sympathetic character thanks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's powerful performance. The supporting cast also does an excellent job, from Gary's effective manipulation -- it seems he spent as much time casing out Chris as the bank -- to Lewis' combination of pragmatism and optimism that is so lacking in Chris. If you want to check out a very good crime drama, take a look at The Lookout.

Overall grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch