10 Greatest Westerns Of The 21st Century
1. True Grit
Although it takes the framework of Henry Hathaway’s 1969 movie of the same name, True Grit (2010) is a Coen Brothers movie through and through, filled with charming and eccentric caricatures, but with a an emotionally resonant story nestled deep within the buffoonery and quick-fire quip exchanges.
Despite being nominated for ten academy awards, True Grit came up short in every single category, losing out to the likes of Inception and The King’s Speech. That’s a real shame, because Joel and Ethan Coen’s movie is one of the most delicately drawn and wittily told Westerns ever produced.
It almost feels timeless, even just seven years after its releases. True Grit co-opts and pays homage to everything that makes Westerns great, without ever bordering into pastiche or ridicule, and whilst still keeping the Brothers’ idiosyncratic directorial flair alive. Jeff Bridges is fantastic as the gruff and irritable U.S Marshall Rooster Cogburn, Matt Damon is a delight as the proud and surprisingly three-dimensional Ranger LeBeouf, and Hailee Steinfeld shows her worth as one of the best young prospects of the last several years, so wonderful is she as the defiant Mattie Ross.
True Grit really captures the magic of the Westerns of old, whilst etching out its own personal story, and that is the mark of a truly great Western.