How did I not know that the Coen brothers were remaking True Grit? John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of the alcoholic sheriff Rooster J. Cogburn in 1969 western and he later teamed up with Katharine Hepburn in the 1975 sequel, Rooster Cogburn. (Yeah, lets not get into that movie.)
In the remake, Jeff Bridges is Rooster and Matt Damon is LeBouef. Hailee Steinfeld plays the all important role of Mattie Ross, a teen set on avenging her father’s death with the help of Rooster and LeBouef.
If there is one thing to be certain about this movie, it is hardly a remake of the original. More like a fresh adaptation. The film focuses on Mattie’s point-of-view, just as the Charles Portis novel it is based on. Although you can’t fault the original John Wayne version for being all about, well, John Wayne. Let’s just hope Steinfeld can carry a film; she does have to compete with Jeff Bridges after all.
True Grit releases on December 25.