True Grit

True Grit is a remake of an overly praised but still decent John Wayne parody film. It's directed by the Coen Brothers, who together are one of the biggest powers in Hollywood. They make great films year after year. This is not one of them, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a very, very entertaining and satisfying western. We open with the voice of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) informing us her father has been killed in cold blood by a drunk called Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin). She wants to avenge his death, and so she seeks out a man with real grit, and finds him with Rooster Cogburn, a quick-shooting, mean, drunk, son-of-a-bitch played by Jeff Bridges. Cogburn is at first reluctant to have Mattie accompany him, but Mattie quickly proves herself to be a competent, witty, and realistic young girl. They are accompanied by a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) who is in constant verbal war with Cogburn. True Grit is at times pretty funny, and at others explosive as a Scorsese film in its violence. It's photographed beautifully by the frequent Coen brother collaborator Roger Deakins, and not only the land but the texture of the Western is very well captured. This is not the original True Grit which is cherished because it won John Wayne an Oscar. However, this version is the upgrade to that, its far superior. And truth be told, John Wayne got the Oscar for True Grit just because they thought he was due, not because it was a great performance. True Grit is quite the entertaining western. It's a pretty perfect holiday movie. It's fun and it's well told. It may be a minor work within the body of the Coen Brothers, but who gives a damn as long as they've accomplished what they set out to do: make a damn good western.
True Grit: ★★★