While all the Oscar prognosticators are spit shining “The Fighter” this week and trumpeting it as the Best Picture winner, that sentiment will pretty much change next week when “True Grit” starts screening en masse and every crystal ball awards season genie will switch up their tune.
But regardless of what chances it has at the Oscar or not, the prevailing sentiment is that though it’s a bit more of a dry run than audiences are used to from the Coen Brothers, the performances are ace with particular praise being lauded on newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. And watching these four clips from the film, it’s easy to see why. Standing opposite season vets like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, Steinfeld is utterly commanding and compelling. And that’s just in a couple minutes of clips. We can’t wait to see her in the rest of the film. Additionally, Matt Damon as a full-of-himself Texas Ranger? Looks utterly hilarious.
The film follows a young girl (Steinfeld) who acquires the assistance of aging, drunken U.S. Marshal Rooster J. Cogburn (Bridges) and young Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Damon) to track down her father’s killer, Tom Chaney (Brolin), who has taken to a gang led by “Lucky” Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper). By most accounts it’s an old fashioned oater, but we’re definitely pumped. “True Grit” opens on December 22nd.
