Viewers with a basic knowledge of cinema history will be paid dividends as the references to a glorious past arrive with regularity. From references like the dance extravaganzas of Busby Berkeley to the screwball comedy of Cary Grant, the love and respect is up on the silver screen for all to see.

A familiar cast of characters is evident and Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Scarlett Johansson are just a few regulars that do justice to the always-impressive words of the brothers. There are also the usual underlining themes that give even a period piece like this relevance to today. The screenplay also features some classic Coen characters and the now almost pre-requisite absurd situations to mull over.

The Coen’s trend of following heavy fare with that of a more whimsical nature is intact and Hail, Caesar! is much less demanding than 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis. It’s subtlety and irony might be lost on some but it’s a worthy addition to the Coen’s canon.

Rob Hudson
www.hailcaesar.com.au

Based in the murky waters of the shadowy world of espionage back in the late fifties, the film does an admirable job of keeping the audience in the know. There was such a litany of enemies (both real and perceived) of the American way of life presented back then that the story could have easily diffused into myopic rubbish. It steers mostly clear of easy slogans.

Hanks plays super hostage negotiator James B. Donovan as he tries to trade a Russia spy to secure the release of Gary Powers, the pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. It’s to Donovan integrity and force of will that he also secures the release of an American student caught in the cross hairs during the erection of the Berlin wall between the East and West.

Director Steven Spielberg keeps his proclivity for emotional overstatement to a minimum and takes full advantage of a sharp screenplay by Matt Charman and the brothers Coen, Ethan and Joel. The film holds your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat until its conclusion.

Rob Hudson
www.bridgeofspies.com

Performances are predictably grand from this cast (Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper) with the exception of newcomer, Hailee Steinfeld, who is a revelation; her elocution of the Coen’s distinguished dialogue squarely hits the mark.

History has shown that the Coen brothers produce basically two types of film: quirky and peculiar flicks that are borderline art house (A Serious Man, Barton Fink) and the crowd pleasers designed to return a reasonable box office (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers). This is understandable, as the latter no doubt affords them a measure of creative freedom to create the former. True Grit aims for the middle ground and, by and large, it succeeds in its mission but is it an above average crowd pleaser or a watered down Coen? I guess it’s both but it’s a film that will sit better with mainstream audiences than it will with Coen fans. It’s a stopgap film, which will bring newcomers to the Coen fold while tiding over existing fans waiting for the next A Serious Man. All in all, though, it’s a success.

Stuart Jamieson
www.truegritmovie.com