True Grit

Isn't the ideal genre for creating unforgettable characters the Western? With so much freedom for speech and appearance, the Coen Brothers must have been tickled to calculate to perfection their trademark supporting cast. Of course, having Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin as headliners doesn't hurt.

In perhaps the most mainstream and star-studded film that the genius kin have ever put out, they stick to their traditional ways; manipulating light and natural visually appealing scenery with deliberate camera pans and cuts.

The film follows the original, with the necessary deviations to modernize the outcome. It is for all intents and purposes a Western of the classic variety. A throwback to films dominated by dialogue and horseback riding. Very John Wayne.

Maddie Ross (Hailee Steinfield)is seeking justice against the murderer of her father, and finds it in Arkansas, where she comes across Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an old drunken curmudgeon US Marshal, a throwback to the old wild west. Having lost track of the number of men he's killed, he knows nothing but tracking fugitives, so Maddie decides that he's the man for the job. A lawman with "true grit".

Cogburn takes the job and they come across LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger who has been hunting the same man who killed Maddie's father for months. Together, they set off to find Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) and either kill him or bring him to justice.

The three have a tremendously natural rapport, and the dialogue is sharp and timed wonderfully. Bridges delivers a performance equal if not better than last year's Oscar winning Bad Blake, and Damon is both comic relief, and just plain enjoys his role.

The real star is newcomer Hailee Steinfield. Although I am not saying anything that hasn't been raved about already, she owns the screen. A precocious and determined young lady in an outlaw's world, she holds her own and shows her own "true grit".

In my opinion, this is the best film of the year, but I fear that critics may be hard on the ending. It does creep up and climax a bit abruptly, and the epilogue is a bit unnecessary and out of place. This is however, a Coen Brothers movie, and everything is deliberate and calculated.

Bridges will certainly receive a nomination, and in a year with stiff competition, he may win it. Firth, Franco, and Eisenberg will certainly push him, but it is entirely possible that he will win consecutive Best Actor Oscars.

Steinfield will also certainly be recognized, but I predict a win for her in the Supporting Actress category, although she should be up for Best Actress. It is the strongest performance by a child actor in recent memory, and will launch a successful career without a doubt.

This is everything that I hoped it would be, and although the end wasn't completely satisfying, it may have just been because I didn't want it to end. This is the real Rooster Cogburn, no offense to Wayne.

Great film, definitely worth seeing (I am going for a second time soon). A better Western hasn't been seen since Unforgiven. 10/10.