The western is revived in the Coen brothers' vision of 'Grit'

The western film was a Hollywood specialty decades ago. Adventures taken on horseback across the vast countryside and confrontations between cowboys and Indians were once popular delights among audiences. The genre has since quieted down and has only appeared on our screens occasionally in the past couple of decades with hits like Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven. Now, directors Joel and Ethan Coen have brought this true American genre back to life with their adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 book of the same name, which was filmed once before in 1969 with the one and only duke, John Wayne. True Grit is a western tale of an unexpected friendship that sets out on a quest for revenge that is as welcome today as the classic westerns of yesterday.

Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is a fourteen-year-old girl who is determined to find her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). In order to accomplish her task, she recruits the help of a cantankerous Deputy U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Reluctant to help her at first, he eventually acquiesces and accepts the task to track down this most wanted bounty. Also joining the team is a young Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon). As the three move deeper into their journey, it becomes evident that they not only have Tom Chaney to concern about, but also a gang of cowboys roaming with Chaney, as well as the dangerous Indian territory.

Jeff Bridges takes the reigns of the famous role that John Wayne won his Oscar for, and does it justice. Bridges, with his eye-patch, drunken slurs and rough western accent that tells of his character's experience in the wild west, has the solid aura of a cowboy. At times, Bridges overdoes his accent, and it becomes difficult to understand him, but his Rooster Cogburn still has a darkly funny disposition. Matt Damon continues to show us that he's an actor of genuine adaptability, and can charm us with any mannerisms or attitudes that a script calls for. He can do almost anything at this point. With LaBoeuf's over self-confidence and attempts to match his bounty-hunting skills with Cogburn's, their liaison can be seen as one between a figurative big brother and little brother. Hailee Steinfeld, in her first film, looks to have a natural talent for acting. She seems so comfortable in front of the camera that she takes on the image of an actress who has been working for several years. Steinfeld's Mattie Ross is an innocent teenager, but her poise reflects an individual who knows the world and is ready to avenge the death of a loved one. This youthful actress has found her element on the silver screen.

True Grit is a rare remake that lives up to the original. Given that the Coen brothers tend to specialize in darkly humorous and offbeat films, it was strange to think that they would experiment with a western; but it worked. Besides it being a revenge tale, it also serves as a story about a somewhat father-daughter relationship between Mattie and Rooster. He is hesitant at first to have her face certain danger; but she has plenty of bravery to follow him, and they eventually learn to respect and care for one another.

The movie is told from Mattie's point-of-view, which makes sense because this is her story. The only downside to that is we don't get to see much of Tom Chaney. The couple of scenes that he's in presents him as a fascinating and fiendish villain, and I would have loved to learn more about him. Although the film drags a little bit in the middle segment when it just shows the group horseback riding, it picks up in the concluding fight between the heroes and Chaney's gang. Even in the 21st century, True Grit is a joyful throwback to the cowboy-era of movies.

Final grade: B+