The Coen brothers re-make of True Grit referred to the 1968 Charles Portis novel, set in 1870s frontier America, to re-create the harsh reality for Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross who recruited US Marshall Rueben (Rooster) Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track and kill Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) who shot her father dead in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) was also pursuing Chaney for murdering a US Senator.
The trio head into the physically demanding landscape of Choctaw Indian territory with a hanged man salvaged by an Indian for his teeth which he swapped with a bearskin-wearing man who ambled up to Marshall Cogburn and again offered to trade the body for parts possibly his teeth. Two Choctaw children were kicked around by Cogburn for no apparent reason.
Mattie outperformed the often mumbling Cogburn and flighty LaBoeuf. The same dialogue was used as per John Wayne's Oscar winning performance 'You do not garnish your words.' Chaney succumbed to a Colt 'Ghost' Peacemaker pistol, rough justice.
John Wayne and Glen Campbell were superb with Kim Darby as Mattie Ross stealing the show. The original True Grit was far superior and could not be bettered.
The modern narration by an embittered, one-armed Mattie in later life, when she failed to recognise the James-Younger gang members was tactless.