The Coen Brother's remake of True Grit, is one of the best movies of the year and miles ahead of the 1969 original, starring John Wayne. Jeff Bridges gives a great performance as Rooster Cogburn, the meanest one-eyed marshal in the South, hired by 14 year old Mattie Ross to track down Tom Cheney, the man who killed her father. Bridges embodies Cogburn in a way John Wayne never did, making him a fully developed character in and of himself. Mattie is played by the 13 year old Hailee Steinfeld in her first film, and she dominates the screen, practically carrying the movie, as she's in every scene. Apparently she's being campaigned for Supporting Actress at the Oscars, and she's guaranteed a nod, but she should really be placed in Lead. other parts are filled out by Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, in pitch perfect performances as well.
The Coens have been on a roll lately, with True Grit likely to become their 3rd best picture nominee in the last 4 years (No Country For Old Men and A Serious Man were the others, the latter being my favorite CB movie ever). It's well-deserving of all the recognition. it's in many ways a traditional western, but the dark humor and tone of the original book is perfectly suited to the Coen Brothers quirky style. the material was a perfect fit for their treatment of it, far surpassing the lighthearted (and lightweight) version from '69. another problem with the first film was the obnoxious Kim Darby as Mattie, who was way too old for the part (21) and inspired very little sympathy for her plight. rather than rooting for her rescue at the end, you rather hoped she'd be disposed of. that's not a problem in this one, as Hailee Steinfeld has you on her side the whole time, seeing everything from her point of view in voiceover narration. the emotionally charged final act also elevates the film into having a deeper resonance than most westerns. definitely see this one, it's worth the price of admission.
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