Writers: Charles Portis (novel), Ethan & Joel Coen (Screenplay)
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, & Matt DamonOther notable Cast: Josh Brolin, Barry pepper, Dakin Matthews
Budget: $38,000,000 (estimated)
I’m generally not a fan of remakes or novel adaptations. But that’s usually because I’ve already seen the original or I’ve read the novel and the remakes/adaptations rarely add up. As I had not seen the original version, I wasn’t viewing the movie with a pre-formed bias.
The Good:
Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn – I think every time I laughed in this movie was because of a line this character spat. He’s severely flawed and incredibly relatable.
The animosity between the Marshalls – You have a lot of reasons for these two characters to belly-ache at eachother. One fought for the North, one fought for the confederacy. There’s the whole “I’m from Texas” mentality and then of course you have the old dog vs. the young whippersnapper. Their spats are priceless.
Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney – We don’t get to see Mr. Chaney for long, but he’s definitely a memorable character. Brolin makes you hate him within moments of meeting him, and what more do you want from a murdering scumbag?
The Bad:
Mr. Le Boeuf – Ka-reep-y. Guy comes off very strongly as a creeper with his first lines. I know it was different back then, but Mattie is 14… and the first scene in which she encounters the Texas Marshall was very much a set-up for a romantic relationship.
The Blue Screen at the end – Oh, it was horrible. When I see things like that in a movie (especially one with a budget like this one had) I wonder why no one took the time to do anything about it.
Voice over & ending sequences – I never enjoy voice over narration in these sorts of films. It always seems out of place.
The Final Verdict: Definitely see it. It will certainly have you running the full gamut of emotions.
Thanks for the review!!
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