Coen Brothers: Ranking Their Films From Worst To Best

12. True Grit (2010)

John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the original True Grit in 1969, and I imagine that most actors wouldn't want to follow an Oscar-winning performance playing the same role in a remake. Jeff Bridges ain't most actors though, and under the direction of the Coen Brothers he's nothing short of brilliant. True Grit is slow, and I don't say that as a criticism. A good Western takes its time, with perhaps the most notable example being the famous opening sequence of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, which relishes in every breath and moment. True Grit does the same - albeit to a lesser extreme than Leone's Westerns did - and the film is paced quite nicely. There are a few moments when the humour gets in the way of the tension of the story, but overall the Coens succeed in making True Grit feel like a remake that - unlike most other Hollywood remakes - is actually necessary.