Two Cowboys and a Spirited Young Lady

The western is the most American of cinema genres and, curiously enough, the most seldom seen on the big screen these days.

Thanks goodness for award-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen for figuring that, y’ know wha’, they wanted try their hand at Charles Portis’ novel True Grit, which was adapted in 1969 into a film that earned John Wayne an Academy Award.

For the Coens’ True Grit, though, the Duke is obviously out, and the Dude is in – and he’s fantastic.

The film, though, I felt belonged to newcomer Hailee Steinfeld; hers is the character (a 14-year-old dead set on avenging her daddy’s murder by tracking down the man who shot him dead) that propels the plot, which she even narrates, and the young actress carries herself like a seasoned pro. She’s being campaigned this awards season as a supporting player, but her turn is decidedly leading and indisputably amazing.

Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross, a quite-mature girl who’s settling her father’s affairs and fixing to get her family some revenge on the coward Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). In order to succeed at her task she enlists the services of the trigger-happy, drunken, eye-patch-wearing U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), with whom she hits the dangerous trail into Indian territory – much to his chagrin and that of Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who joins them on their journey – to hunt down Chaney.

Together, this trio forms a reluctant and unlikely bond that is really fun to watch develop and unfold. The film moves along at a nice pace, and it has humor and action and heart. And, more importantly, it features acting of the first rate, with Bridges and Damon playing their parts with mucho gusto, and Steinfeld, from whom I now expect more formidable things, delivering a star-making performance I wouldn’t mind one bit catching again and won’t hesitate to recommend.

My Rating ****

Photo: Paramount Pictures.