Jeff Bridges' Remake Of A John Wayne Classic Is A Must-Watch For Any Western Fan

No matter what the internet might tell you, remakes can, in fact, be very good if they're handled the right way. Sci-fi stories have been retold time and again, and the horror genre is rife with movies that try to get extra jump scares out of tales we've all heard before. One genre that often gets its wagon circled is the western, with movies like "3:10 To Yuma," "Rio Bravo" (which was remade into "Assault on Precinct 13"), or "The Magnificent Seven" (a westernized remake of "The Seven Samurai") getting newer versions.

A John Wayne's favorite from 1969 got a new take in 2010, with the Jeff Bridges-led, Coen Brothers-directed "True Grit." The film also starred Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and introduced most of the world to a star-in-the-making named Hailee Steinfeld ("Sinners," "Dickinson").

Adapted from Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Mattie Ross (Steinfeld), who, following the murder of her father by horse thief Tom Chaney (Brolin), teams up with U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to track him down. After their immense success with Neo-western, "No Country for Old Men," the Coen Brothers dared to take on a classic western romp, and the result led to one of the rare feats that remakes achieve — it actually got attention during awards season, with most of it aimed at the film's newest talent.

Cinema is littered with young stars who deliver performances that reach a standard actors twice their age can only dream of. That was what Steinfeld managed to give as smart, strong-willed Mattie Ross. Long before she picked up a bow in "Hawkeye," Steinfeld's first true young avenger was 13 years old, holding her own against one of the greatest actors of our time, resulting in a perfect double-act. Just like Joel and Ellie in "The Last of Us," or Logan and Laura in "Logan," there's a reluctant father-surrogate daughter dynamic built between Bridges and Steinfeld that the whole story depends on that's handled effortlessly.

Speaking about his young co-star in the film, Bridges was in awe of the new talent working alongside him, helping bring new life to a beloved story from the Old West. "It was a very difficult role, I think, for any actor at any age. She got her tongue around those words, and she made it look easy. But that was a lot of studying and a great work ethic to come up with that," Bridges explained to MovieLine in 2011. "All the skills — or talents, I guess — that actors wish they had, she's got them in spades."

This was enough for Steinfeld to get an Oscar nomination, alongside Bridges, making her one of the youngest actors to do so. However, even with all the praise it received, "True Grit" received a criminal level of award snubbing that Cogburn himself would've given the stink eye to.

It's nothing new for a movie that's earned plenty of trophies in the lead-up to Oscar night to go home without a shiny statue. However, in the case of "True Grit," the Coen Brothers' brilliant remake had 10 nominations and didn't win a single one.

Steinfeld was beaten to the podium by Natalie Portman's performance in "Black Swan," and Bridges, who had won one the year before, lost to Colin Firth for his performance in "The King's Speech." The Coens were also in the running for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, but lost against director Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech" and Aaron Sorkin's script for "The Social Network."

Admittedly, as history has shown, a movie can walk away with a shelf-load of Oscars, but its lifespan might not be as long. That isn't the case for "True Grit." This is one of the rare remakes that arguably surpasses its predecessor, and while there's no question that Bridges has the acting chops and charisma to follow in John Wayne's dusty cowboy boot-shaped footsteps, Steinfeld proved she had the capability to walk with him. It's why her career has flourished as much as it has since, and makes her a talent that's always worth watching, proving above all, that her grit hasn't left her.