True Grit

Mattie Ross says she wants to hire a man with grit. But it is she who has the truest grit, as played by Hailee Steinfeld in one of the best child actor performances since Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. But it’s not just an outstanding child-actor performance; it’s also a great performance, thanks to a commitment by the Coens to let her drive the story and let Bridges, Damon, and Brolin support. And she’s driven by just about the best motive any character can have: revenge. The result is a GREAT western, an epitome in many ways. So though it may be an exemplary western, does that make it a great movie? Will it be remembered for many years as quintessential? Will it be reviewed? Will it be studied? I’m not sure. I’m not sure it will transcend from the genre into some high-filmmaking echelon. And I’m not even sure it’ll be remembered as the Coens' best work. (Will there be a True Grit-fest, like Lebowskifest?) But I know one thing for sure: They’ll hold Hailee Steinfeld’s unflinching performance right up there with the Tatum O'Neils and Jodie Fosters. Let’s hope she models her career on the latter and not the former, and lets hope she never invites comparisons to any Fannings or Culkins.