True Grit

Forget the old True Grit. This one is better. Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, an alcoholic U S Marshall, who is recruited to help the 14 year old Mattie Ross catch the man who murdered her father. Matt Damon plays a Texas Ranger who is also after the bad guy. The script is humorous in unexpected spots. It is brutal in the predictable spots. The stand out is Bridges with a lot of help from the determined performance of Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie. This is a true western- but one with the kind of spin that the Coen Brothers give to the films they make. It deserves the audience it has gotten. It is one of the year's best films.