Movie Review: True Grit

Last night, Mike, Chris, Kassie and I went to see the remake of the old John Wayne classic "True Grit". Now, I've never seen the original (it's currently in our Netflix queue), but I thought this remake was absolutely fantastic!

Here's the synopsis:

Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested.

First of all, I absolutely love Jeff Bridges. He plays Rooster Cogburn, the surly U.S. Marshall. I think Bridges makes an excellent "cowboy" of sorts and brings a little bit of comedy to the role that Mike tells me was not in the original film.

I was very surprised by Matt Damon's performance. He's not typically someone I would envision in a western film, but he pulls off the role of LaBoeuf with comedy and heart.

This is a fantastic story and a very well put together film. I definitely recommend seeing this one... even going to theater to see it!