Movie review: True Grit *****

Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated: PG-13
Showing: Liberty Theatre week of Friday, February 4 - Friday 2:30/6/9pm; Saturday 2:30/7; Sunday 2:30/5:30pm; weekdays 2:30/6:30pm. For more information about film times, call 292-7296.
Runtime: 110 minutes
Drama/western

This 10-time Oscar-nominated western is a contender for best movie of the year.

The Coen brothers’ latest offering — a remake of the 1969 classic starring John Wayne — is another almost flawless piece of film-making, boasting their usual technical genius, wry humour, thoughtful eccentricity, quirky nuances and impressive verbosity.

They team up once again with Oscar winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) — a cult hero as ‘the Dude’ in their Big Lebowski — who flaunts his acting mettle as trigger-happy U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. The one-eyed, reckless and drunken lawman is hired by 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to hunt down a desperado called Chaney (Josh Brolin, W, Milk), who killed her father in cold blood.

Despite his sloth and being a reprobate, she has faith in his skills as a bounty hunter and insists on accompanying him on his quest across the Arkansas badlands — much to his chagrin.

Accompanying them is the “rodeo clown” LaBeouf (Matt Damon, The Bourne Identity), a Texas ranger determined to take Chaney back to his state for the reward. The unlikely trio find danger, surprise and their ‘grit’ tested as they seek justice and their prey.

The movie is classic Coen, with sublime cinematography and intelligent, engrossing dialogue taking precedence over gun-slinging action.

The writer-director seamlessly combine emotion, humour and drama in this authentic western tale.

Cogburn’s grizzled, booze-soaked lawman joins the illustrious ranks of Bridges’ other great characters, while Damon gives one of the best performances of his career as the ridiculed LaBeouf.

A tour de force in terms of writing, acting and style, True Grit is not to be missed.