True Grit

A new movie by the Coen brothers is always an event.

Given their habit to twist rules and genres, you never quite know what you're going to get especially since they also like to make lighter movies (Brun After Reading, Intolerable Cruelty spring to mind).
But you're always sure it will be beautiful and witty (I loved the 2 movies above, although much less than Miller's Crossing or No Country For Old Men, which are instant classics).

So what could they make of a remake of a John Wayne Western?

Well, in a slightly disappointing twist, True Grit feels like their most conventional film to date. Which is far from saying that it's bad. But somehow I missed this crazy touch that makes you really have no idea how it's all going to turn out.

Having said that, it's quite brilliant. The actors are perfect, cinematography stunning and the dialogs are nothing but a joy. I just had a big smile on my face for the whole thing.
Having said that it's also got its dark edge, with bursts of quite brutal violence, as you would expect from a western.

So it's an utterly enjoyable effort, definitely more relevant than their more minor efforts, but just a notch under their best.

In any case, certainly something that should be watched more than most movies out this year...