The Dude outdoes The Duke as Jeff Bridges saddles up for the Coen Brothers’ remake of True Grit, the 1969 western which garnered John Wayne an Oscar for acting his age and sporting an eye patch. Crotchety yet indefatigable, Bridges is in absolutely roistering form as the grizzled old marshal tracking down a fugitive killer, and might be favourite for Academy recognition himself were it not for the statuette he won last year. That said, he’s frequently upstaged by Hailee Steinfeld’s steely turn as the 14-year-old seeking vengeance for her father’s murder, and brooking no nonsense from Bridges’ boozy old stager or Matt Damon’s plodding Texas Ranger. As the drama plays out, book-learning and popular legends alike are tested against the unfolding realities of the Old West, with the Coens’ trademark absurdist humour never getting in the way of what is simply a smashing adventure story. This is their most purely enjoyable movie in years, and Carter Burwell’s folksy score is a beauty. (Notes by Trevor Johnston).