Jack Bennett After an outlaw murders her father, a feisty 14-year-old farm girl hires a boozy trigger-happy bounty hunter to help track him down. Together with a Texas Ranger, the unlikely trio must venture into hostile territory to dispense some old fashioned Wild West justice.John Wayne famously played Rooster Cogburn to earn his only acting Oscar in 1969 alongside Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper. Bridges's portrayal of the US Marshall is more one of a husky and haggard old man than Wayne's simple drunk, but it's a character which suits the world built by the Coen brothers' script. I hardly think Wayne's Cogburn would've made it far in this less stylised environment without the no nonsense approach of Bridges' grouchy straight-talking one-eyed lawman.Hailee Steinfeld (herself only 13 at the time of filming) won the role from a pool of 15,000 auditions and ultimately changed the character of Mattie from a damsel in need of protection to a capable gunslinger you'd rather have on your side in a fight. She's often smarter than many of the adversaries, a point that's proven in one of the first scenes where she barters with a horse trader using his own logic against him to get a refund.Meanwhile, as the crude, cold-hearted and cowardly murderer Chaney, Josh Brolin plays a man who would just as easily shoot his 14-year-old pursuer as he would the tried and tested Cogburn. The scenes in which he appears are as unnerving as they are eye-drawingly unmissable since you're waiting for him to make his dastardly move.The film isn't what you'd describe as a traditional Coen Brothers film - there's nothing eccentric or quirky about it - but therein lies its appeal, since it allowed the cinematic siblings to go all out on the artistic side of filmmaking. Nominated for ten Oscars (including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography), it undeservedly came away with nothing at all, but when you consider that Inception stole the technical gongs while The King's Speech cleaned up the big prizes that year you realise it was up against some stiff competition.The film drags a little once they find Chaney and there are a few scenes towards the end which might've been better left on the cutting room floor, but it soon pays off in the final 20 minutes so you never feel like your time is wasted. Considering it's a remake (or a 'new adaptation' of the Charles Portis novel), it's one of the Coen brothers' stand out offerings - much better than their atrocious attempt at The Ladykillers! - and truly worthy of its 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating.Best Quote: "The ground's too hard. If they wanted a decent funeral, they should have got themselves killed in summer."

cricketbat True Grit is well-written, well-acted and well-executed. The Coen Brothers have created an old-fashioned Western that feels fresh and relevant. Every actor, including the supporting cast, does an amazing job of making the film feel authentic. It's a simple story, but it's a very memorable movie.

grampy-26686 The dialogue (and almost everything else) is almost identical to the 1969 original. Aside from small differences to make it appear more 'authentic', this movie is a copy. Not a re-make. Why did they bother?

merelyaninnuendo True GritCarrying out one's typical textbook western theme and offers it a familiar tale to feed on the audience for almost around 110 minutes, is no ordinary job. Fortunately, the responsible team in here, is trustworthy and doesn't fail to deliver too. The Coen Brothers; as usual is no short on execution and this time has got appropriate editing on their side. The real game changer of the feature is their smart adaptation of Charles Portis' novel that is not only gripping but sensibly thought-provoking. The background score and the costume design is apt for the tone of the feature. The performance is strong and something that factors a lot in its favour, reason being a great star cast on its side. And addition to that, the performance given by them is appreciative too, especially by the protagonist Jeff Bridges who is supported well enough by Hailee Steinfield, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin (no matter how much runtime he gets in here). The writing is more practical than usual western feature does, as there is too much practicality involved in it that sends out this eerie vulnerable feeling in the audience for the characters. True Grit breeds essential sentiments in its self-created grittiness, but still somehow fails to draw out the anticipated emotion from the screen and the reason would be its perspective.