True Grit Remake is Truly Entertaining

Never arrive late to a movie.  Words to live by; you can miss the entire premise of the film.  Unfortunately, I missed the first five minutes of this film.  Fortunately, that was all I missed.  True Grit, originally a 1969 John Wayne classic, was re-done with flair, gumption, and great casting.  Since I was already aware of the plot of the movie (a young girl’s father is killed and she promises to avenge his death by hiring a deadbeat Marshal to hunt down the culprit), I was able to fill myself in very easily.  And then I was along for the enjoyable ride that lasted the duration of the movie. 

If you’re not aware of the Coen Brothers by now then you probably live in North Dakota.  Well, maybe not North Dakota because they directed Fargo as well as No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski and just a few others.  They love to re-use actors in their movies and their choices for True Grit were nothing short of fabulous.  There’s Jeff Bridges as a withering drunkard of a Marshal, Matt Damon playing an aspiring hero, and Josh Brolin playing a dirty villain.  But it was newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as young Mattie Ross who stole the show.  She made me feel inferior at times (I mean, what 14-year old really has that vocabulary?), but her true grit was admirable.  Her quick-witted responses had me giggling seconds after I realized how clever she was. 

The amazing cast along with the twists and turns of alliances in this movie make it a must-see.  Even if you have to miss the first five minutes.

Spend or Save?  Spend your money and experience a great film about the wild wild west!