True Grit

Arguably the Coen Brothers' most straightforward film, True Grit is a dark, funny, and wonderfully engaging Western masterpiece. Drawing inspiration from the revered novel of the same name by Charles Portis rather than the 1969 John Wayne movie, the tale follows determined Arkansas teen Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) as she embarks on a quest to bring her father's killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), to justice. Mattie enlists the services of U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an ornery, whiskey-soaked gunslinger who suffers no fools, particularly Texas Ranger La Boeuf (Matt Damon), a self-satisfied lawman also in pursuit of Chaney. As the trio ventures into dangerous territory while on the murderer's trail, they risk life and limb to see the mission through. Steinfeld, in her screen debut, is pitch-perfect as the precocious, but never cutesy, young protagonist, while Damon clearly savors his preening part as La Boeuf. And, in a role that could have easily veered into caricature, Bridges makes Cogburn both hilarious and a serious heavy-hitter, a far cry from the actor's earlier turn in the Coens' Big Lebowski, except for both characters' appreciation of drink. By toning down their signature quirkiness, keeping the dialogue bitingly direct, and moving the story steadily along a series of beautifully bleak wilderness settings, the Coen Brothers have crafted one of their finest films.