TRUE GRIT

Starring Hailee Steinfeld

I had to give the starring credit to the actual star of this remarkable film unlike every poster and commercial used to publicize the movie.
The story is simple, a young wise cracking girl hires a mean yet effective Marshall to track down the man that killed her father. What follows is a deep and honest character study full of ups and downs with a peppering of humour to keep things moving along.
Jeff Bridges plays the ornery Rooster Cogburn complete with a mush mouthed ode to Slingblade. He is good, really good in the role but the film belongs to the 14 year old played to perfection by Hailee Steinfeld a relative new comer to the movies. Hailee holds her own with the likes of Matt Damon and Josh Brolin as well as with the veteran Bridges and might even have a thing or two to teach them. I don't want to dwell too much on how she impressed me at every turn but I will just say that if she doesn't at least get considered for an Oscar nod then something just ain't right this year.
The movie is simple enough in its mission, introducing the idea of justice and good prevailing despite many obstacles much like the thousands of movies that came before it.The difference this time around is that rather than a lack of character development holding the film back, we are treated to a rich background on many of the players and so you actually gain sympathy for their plight and quietly root them on from your seat.
If you are looking for a new turn on an old classic and if you have read the book or are just a fan of a good old fashioned Western with top notch performances than this is the film for you.

Rating 4 ponies out of 5