True Grit is a rare film that met every expectation I set for it. I expected the Coens to take this classic tale and surpass the John Wayne classic. I expected Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld to knock their performances out of the park. I expected the script to be sharp, witty, and resonate the novel, and the direction to be crisp, professional, and fit the genre perfectly. I expected Roger Deakins’ cinematography to be breathtaking, and Carter Burwell’s score to be gracefully wonderful. Although the story stays the same, this masterfully made film fixes all of the problems the original film had (except John Wayne’s performance-Bridges did just as well, but I refuse to say who was better, because they both did a fantastic job). The Coens have crafted one of 2010’s best films, and more importantly, what could be the 21st century’s best western yet. Where this falls in the Coen’s legacy of films is yet to be said (it was far better than “Burn After Reading”, that’s for sure), but I truly found this film fantastic. Overall, “True Grit” lives up to the hype and delivers a powerhouse western for the 21st century.