If you want to see True Grit, it would be all right.

True Grit is the Coen Brother's latest film and the second adaption of the 1960s novel of the same name. The first film adaption starred John Wayne in his first Academy Award winning role, Jeff Bridges plays what was once Wayne's character in this film and he fills those shoes well.

The Story
True Grit follows a teenage girl, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), on her quest to avenge her father's killing at the hands of a drifter named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). To this end, she hires a local marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), who has a reputation for taking no prisoners. After some initial...conflict.. they set off after Chaney, occasionally in the company of a Texas ranger, LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who plays the fool but is in fact quite good at what he does.

The Execution
Bridges, as usual, pulls out an excellent performance. I am of the opinion that any movie in which you watch Jeff Bridges stumble around drunkenly is well worth the price of admission no matter what happens in the rest of the film. The other actors are no slouches either. Steinfeld is a definite match for Bridges and it is no surprise that she has already been nominated for an award from the Screen Actors Guild. She fits the role like a glove. Matt Damon's performance and character were reminiscent of Brad Pitt's Aldo Raine in Inglorious Basterds, which I'm okay with. Both characters even butcher a Romance language in hilarious ways. Brolin has almost no screen time but he doesn't disappoint in the time he has.

The cinematography is clean and well done. Nothing extraordinary but it is good. The script is brilliant and full to the brim with comic relief. True to form, the Coen brothers tread a very fine line between comedy and drama and the film is better for it. Few directors can make a film that contains both this:

...and some truly draining emotional moments without there being any feeling of  mood whiplash. It all seems natural. Even the above character, while hilarious, never appears to be a complete departure from the film world.

There is nothing revolutionary about the film, but it is extremely well executed. The Coen brothers obviously have a love for Westerns and I hope that they continue making them. Go see True Grit, you won't regret it.

Final Score: 9/10