The Coen Brothers have done it again! Adapting a different version of Charlie Portis's novel to the 1969 John Wayne western is a huge task which they have taken on spectacularly in this juggernaut of a film.
Having only seen parts of the 1969 version of True Grit when my Dad has been flicking channels, I went into the cinema with fresh eyes. With beautiful cinematography, editing and soundtrack, this is an amazingly well rounded film which is easily in my top 5 favourite films of the past year.
Stunning performances from all main and supporting actors and actresses shine...
Notable mention has to go to the breathtaking fourteen year old Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. To think that this young woman had previously never acted in a professional capacity is unbelievable. Mattie is an extremely strong willed girl with a religious sense of wrong and right seeking to avenge her father's death. Steinfeld handles the role with a perfect balance of comedy, sensitivity and strength. She nails the performance with a natural and effortless ability way beyond her years.
For me, Matt Damon puts in one of his best performances in recent years as LeBoeuf. His comic timing is fabulous and the chemistry he creates with fellow actors is electric. In a weaker Oscar year he would have been nominated for his supporting role and even this year was fairly unlucky to not get a look in.
Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn is all you hope it to be. Self-centred, wily and drunk with a hit of a sensitive soul, Bridges is fantastic. I could literally picture no one else recapturing the role of Cogburn. Had this year's Oscars nominees not included Colin Firth in the Kings Speech, Bridges would have been a dead cert to scoop the golden statue.
I'm not one to watch a film more than once but as soon as True Grit is released on DVD I am adding it to my collection immediately.
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