Joel and Ethan Coen have proven themselves masters of the Western/action genre. The Oscar-winning Western opus No Country for Old Men from 2007 proved a critical and commercial success, featuring an edgy storyline centered around a riveting, psychotic villain, played to perfection by Javier Bardem. That film was no run-of-the-mill western, redefining the Western's classical traditions. Instead of a rousing adventure story, it was a psychological character study with the Western overtures played to a minimum. True Grit, the Coen brothers' latest dramatic effort, returns the directors to a much more action/adventure-oriented Western tale full of guns, horses, cowboys, Indians and every other Western pleasure a viewer could expect. Unlike No Country, True Grit does not try to redefine the genre but instead plays out its best elements, creating a bold and harrowing tale. Although none too thought-provoking, it nevertheless features sharp writing, crisp directing and solid performances.It should be mentioned that True Grit is based on a novel and is also a remake of a '60s film starring John Wayne. I've never read the book, nor seen the first film version, so my judgment of this film is based on this version alone. From what I understand, this film is very faithful to the novel, and although films sometimes suffer constraints in their writing when catering to a literary source, True Grit appears to fare very well in its own cinematic terms.

The film's plot revolves around a 14-year-old girl named Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who is on a relentless mission to avenge the murder of her father at the hands of gang member Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin). To accomplish this, she enlists the help of the gritty, battle-hardened and drunken U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). A Texas ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) also wishes to find and execute Cheney for unrelated crimes, and so he joins Mattie and the marshal on the road to bring Cheney to justice.

Although Bridges is given top billing, the film's heart and soul is really Steinfeld, who brings an astounding aura of intelligence, assertiveness and maturity to Ross. Though the character is only 14, the film's compelling storyline, along with Steinfeld's stellar performance, makes her character's attitude and resolve entirely believable. Her competence and lack of fear when attempting to get her way with adults of supposedly superior intelligence is put on display within the film's first few scenes when she manages to talk her way into selling her ponies to a disgruntled salesman for no less than $320. Then, she convinces the retired Cogburn to come out of his drunken stupor to aid her in finding her father's killer. Even when Cogburn attempts to leave without her, Ross manages to track down both him and LaBoeuf, refusing to let her retribution be fulfilled without her. Ross' serious, sometimes even cold disposition becomes her driving force but is always countered with her sardonic sense of humor. Steinfeld balances these different character elements with phenomenal precision and charm.

Bridges, meanwhile, gives an expectedly brilliant performance as Cogburn, playing the marshal's dual combination of rugged exterior and soft center with a great balance of wit and grit (excuse the pun). Bridges gives Cogburn the air of a man who has been through a great many battles, killed a ton of people and has decided to create a bubble around the difficulties of his life by turning to alcohol. The character nevertheless retains great strength, and it is the journey to find Cheney that breathes new life and purpose into his stagnant life. Bridges balances these character traits with a great sense of humor.

It should be noted that Cogburn appears to grow progressively more drunk throughout the movie. I would ordinarily find this penchant to be an overly desperate desire to grasp for laughs, but in the hands of both the Coens' and Bridges, this alcoholic quality provides an excellent counterpoint to moments where Cogburn breaks through and shows his heroic nature. The biggest downside to Cogburn's appeal is that Bridges mumbles incessantly throughout the movie. It is at times nearly impossible to understand what he's saying, and I missed probably about a quarter of his lines. I'm sure Bridges is not to be faulted for this, and this characteristic mumbling is no doubt taken straight from the novel, but it's still a little annoying when a great performance is impeded by incoherent gurgling.

Damon provides the nice-guy counterpoint to Bridges' Cogburn, appearing as a character of nobility and honor. He also tends to preach a fair bit, throwing all his faith to his Texas ranger allegiance. This tendency has the side effect of giving LaBoeuf the appearance of someone who talks a good game but really has nothing to show for it. His early dealings with Ross also lend to this image, as he at first appears to show little respect towards her. Their relationship changes later on after she and Cogburn come to his rescue during a raid, and LaBoeuf's real personality begins to show forth. Damon brings an impressive element of multidimensionality to the character and, while not an overtly difficult character to play, Damon provides the perfect balance to give the character weight. LaBoeuf is firmly placed as a polar opposite character of Cogburn, while the two are simultaneously maneuvered into the same position as Ross' protectors.

The Coen brothers masterfully craft the trio's journey to find Cheney. Moments of palpitating suspense and action are spaced by slower character moments. For the most part, these sequences flow nicely, although there are a few oddball moments where random characters, including a coroner and a traveling Indian, appear momentarily to deliver a few awkwardly funny quips and then leave. They're odd moments for the film, but they do offer some comic relief.

While overall the film is very sharply written, the conclusion seems unnecessarily dragged out. The ultimate confrontation between Ross and Cheney is handled well, but just when the movie appears to be over, the film is awkwardly extended for another 15 minute sequence, with an extra plot point about a poisonous snake seemingly thrown in to deliver an emotional kick. While this extra moment works to an extent, it feels a little thrown together to give the story a more cohesive ending, including an unnecessary epilogue. Truthfully, a much simpler and straightforward ending would have sufficed. From what I understand, the conclusion is drawn directly from the book, but what works in literary form doesn't always translate well to the screen.

For the most part, True Grit succeeds as an excellent action/adventure Western flick. While not exactly Oscar-worthy, the film works on several different levels-strong performances by Steinfeld and Bridges, a finely crafted story and crisp, stylish directing.

Although True Grit is not as interesting or thought-provoking as some of the Coens' other efforts, it doesn't have to be. It's a fun film that plays out its story and style to perfection and is definitely one of the best Western genre films to have been released in recent years.