1. True Grit (2010)
The second film in this list which is not strictly a remake of another movie, the Coen brothers' True Grit is their own take on the same novel on which Henry Hathaway's 1969 version was based. Mattie Ross, played by the increasingly popular Hailee Steinfeld, is a 14-year-old girl who takes the law into her own hands after her father is murdered by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) and no-one seems bothered enough to track him down and hold him to account for this heinous crime. Despite her young age, and her status as a female in a patriarchal society, Mattie is noticeably sharper than most of the characters she comes across, and fearless to boot. However, she is also smart enough to know that she simply isn't capable of bringing Chaney to justice by herself, and so enlists - after some bargaining - the assistance of Texas Ranger LaBouef (Matt Damon) and Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a grizzly, battle-hardened marshal. What follows is a genuinely entertaining and decidedly tense affair, with excellent performances from all the stars.
The 1969 release featured Hollywood legend and manly-man John Wayne in the role of Cogburn, and between this version and the Coen brothers', I would argue that the difference in quality is smaller than any other two movies on this list. Bridges isn't necessarily better than Wayne - just different. The music in the '69 version is marginally better, too. But there are certain cinematic details that tip the scale in favour of the Coens' movie: the gunshots sound more realistic, and the barrels visibly smoke when shots are fired; Steinfeld's Mattie is the better of the two; and the authentic dialogue of the 2010 edition is as memorable as it is unusual to listen to at first. So, that concludes this list. Like I said at the beginning, I have no doubt that some of my opinions will cause some readers to spray their coffee/tea/Irn Bru all over their screens, but at the end of the day, they are my opinions. I hope you enjoyed the article nonetheless.