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Firstly, I have not seen the original film nor read the books, but this was a good enough film for me. I found the production design and cinematography to be first rate, and the direction from the Coen brothers was, as usual, spot on. However, it was surprisingly the story that let this film down slightly. There were excellent sections of dialogue, and the 'revenge-thriller' aspect of the film kept it suspenseful and engaging, yet I found the plot to move very slowly. Luckily, the Coen brothers had a back-up plan, and that came in the form of Hailee Steinfeld. Without Hailee, this film wouldn't be much, but she gives a stunning debut performance as the vengeful Mattie Ross, and is a reason in itself to see this film. Jeff Bridges is also excellent as the drunkard Rooster Cogburn, but the usually terrific Matt Damon was badly cast as LaBoeuf. This is a perfect example of a cast (or two specific actors) carrying a film, and in the end I found it to be very enjoyable.
