A tight western told straight up by the Coen brothers, perhaps making it a departure for them, but featuring three strong-willed characters and 19th century dialogue that was constantly entertaining to me. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are great as the hired gun and Texas ranger hunting down a wanted man, but 13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld is a revelation in her breakout role as the girl who hires them and then goes along to see the job done, something the film hinged upon. It was fantastic that her character was so strong and intelligent, but I also loved the nihilism in Rooster Cogburn, a lawless character sent out to help law enforcement, maybe a trope, but the paradox of which really represents the era. We first meet him being cross examined for his violent tactics in a courtroom, and the last we hear of him is as a western vaudeville performer, somewhat pathetically play-acting a time gone by, the bookends of which seemed to capture something larger than the story. Definitely a solid modern entry in the genre.
Review of True Grit
