True Grit...Good Fun

True Grit
 As often happens, directors get the most accolades for some of their least accomplished works, Coen brothers are certainly riding high with their new film 'True Grit', a Western, based on a Charles Portis novel. There also exists a 1969 film of the same name for which John Wayne won his best actor Oscar (his only one.)

Coen brothers have made an entertaining film that is good fun but far from their best work. However, after their last few films such as Burn After Reading that enjoyed mainstream commercial success and No Country for Old Men that enjoyed mainstream critical success and Oscar glory, Coen brothers are all of a sudden a big shot. True Grit will benefit more from that than any implicit quality.

True Grit is the story of Mattie Ross, a steadfast, 14-year old that must avenge her father's death even if she has to use a drunk, spent US Marshal to achieve her goal. Mattie isn't too different from the other young girl Ree Dolly from Winter's Bone, another excellent film from this year, that must find her dead father. Seems like it is (was) the year of young headstrong women dealing with the deaths of their fathers.

Jeff Bridges, and old time Coen camp member, Matt Damon, a new appointee and some others, Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper, what a pleasant surprise it was to see him, add spice to the film.

True Grit is entertaining and fun but not much else and that makes it easily one of the best films of 2010.