I wouldn't travel with "The Tourist"

               Today, on a whim, I went to see “The Tourist”.  I’ve never been the biggest fan of either Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie, but I’m always in the mood for a good espionage movie.  I went into the theater with not the highest of expectations, but I hoped I’d be proven wrong.

                I wasn’t.

                I found “The Tourist” to be a rather slow-moving, cookie-cutter type of spy movie.  It was rather unfortunate, actually.  The plot was halfway decent, but it was a bit too cliché for my taste.  It was set in the place where most spy movies start, Paris.  Interpol agents are staking out a hotel in the center of town.  Their base of operations: (say it with me, everyone) a black van.  Angelina Jolie’s character, Elise, comes out of the hotel, and the dialogue starts- in French.  Oh, goodie, subtitles.  Elise goes to a café, where a courier meets her and gives her a letter.  That is when the English language is first heard.  Ten minutes into the movie.  She is told to get on a train and head to Venice.  After reading the letter, she burns it.  That sends Interpol into frenzy.  The rest of the movie is basically spent trying to track down Elise and Frank, played by Johnny Depp, whom she met on the train. 

                Interpol stops looking for them at one point in the movie, after Frank is deemed not to be the man they are looking for, Alexander Pierce, but a desk clerk sees the picture of Frank, and mistakes him for the man that Interpol is looking for.  It turns out he is an informant for the Russian mob.  That’s right, the Russian mob.  The Russians are also looking for Pierce, who used to be their bookkeeper.  So Interpol: out Russians: in. 

                Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp both, in my opinion, put in sub-par acting performances, and, to me, it felt like more of a love story between them than a spy drama.  My expectations for the movie were correct.  I wouldn’t see it again, but that’s just me.  My advice would be to go and see it for yourself, because it could be either a hit or miss.  All I am saying is don’t expect too much, and you won’t be disappointed.

Music Man

"True Grit" lives up to it's billing

I have always been a purist when it comes to western movies.  I was raised to appreciate movies that relied on the stories they told and not how many shootouts and profanities one could fit into a two hour time slot.  To me, John Wayne was the king of this genre.  "True Grit" was, and remains to this day, my favorite John Wayne picture.  That's why when I saw that the Coen Brothers were doing a remake of "True Grit", the only movie that the Duke ever won an Oscar for, I was skeptical.  When I think of Joel and Ethan Coen, movies like "Fargo" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" come to mind, not exactly western movies.  I didn't think they could pull it off.

I was dead wrong.

I rarely use the word perfect when it comes to movies, but I am breaking my rule for this   one.  "True Grit" was a perfect western movie.  From the grit of the dirt streets of Fort Smith to the untamed wilderness of the Choctaw Nation, every facet of the Coen Brothers directorial vision was on point.  It pulls you in and immerses you in the world of Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross.  It remained truer to the novel rather than trying to just be a remake of the previous movie.

 What struck me initially was the soundtrack.  I don’t normally get jazzed about soundtracks, but this one got me.   It began with a simple yet poignant version of a song that I couldn’t quite place.  But, as it progressed and the orchestration came in and filled in the missing pieces, I realized that it was a hymn.  The movie started with a version of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”.   Other hymns were played throughout the movie as well.  I have to say it was one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time.

The music is only one thing in the world of Cinema.  The acting has to be good to make the movie believable.  The iconic role of Rooster Cogburn had to go to someone that could do it justice.  Enter Jeff Bridges. He is a versatile actor who, in my opinion, has found his niche in the western genre.  I can safely say that this role was made for him.  His portrayal of Rooster would have made John Wayne proud.  Every nuance of the character was covered.  He played the role with just the right amount of humor and wit.  I was very impressed with his performance.

And what about LaBoeuf, the Texas Ranger played by Glen Campbell in the original movie?  That role went to Matt Damon.  Again, this role was made for him.  He played the character with the right amount of cockiness needed to play the young and brash Texan.  He and Bridges work together very well and play off each other flawlessly. 

Hailee Steinfield plays the role of Mattie Ross.  A relative newcomer to the big screen, Steinfield brings the role of the outspoken fourteen year old to life with incredible ease.  She plays the role with a wide-eyed, adventurous style that I found to be very refreshing.  I expect to see big things from her in the future.

The story is pretty straightforward.  Mattie Ross comes to Fort Smith to identify her father’s body.  He was murdered by a man named Tom Chaney over a card game.  After the body is identified, Ross decides to go after Chaney, who has gone into the Indian Territory.  She enlists the help of Marshal Rooster Cogburn, who has earned the reputation of being very tough on his prisoners.  They, along with Ranger LaBoerf, go in search of Chaney, who has taken up with a gang of outlaws led by “Lucky” Ned Pepper.  The movie follows the three main characters as they search for Chaney and the trials they face in doing so.

I would not recommend it for smaller children because of a few violent scenes, but if you want to see a movie that actually has a good story and is, for the most part clean, I would highly recommend this movie.  It has the possibility of being the catalyst that could bring about the reemergence of the western.  One can only hope so.

Music Man