2. True Grit
While attempts to produce big budget mainstream Westerns often flop at the box office (The Lone Ranger is the latest notable example), independent Westerns tend to fare much better. The Coen brothers' contribution to the genre came in 2010 with their remake of the classic True Grit. Jeff Bridges takes over from John Wayne in the role of Rooster Cogburn, hired by young girl Mattie Ross (a solid performance from Hailee Steinfeld) to track down her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Matt Damon joins the fine cast as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, also on the trail of Chaney and his gang. There's a surprising degree of restraint from the Coens in their direction of True Grit, holding back on the visual flourishes they're sometimes known for. The result is a more languidly-paced film which draws the audience in to a time and place long since lost in the race towards modernity.