Clint Eastwood once said that the western is one of the very few true American art forms. This is why I agree with him: To me, westerns are a grand, sweeping and romanticized throwback to an almost mythical era in American history (the American Old West) where cowboys, Indians and outlaws reigned free on the vast rural landscapes of the American wilderness, far away from the corruption of the long arm of the law. For better or for worse, the genre’s simple but universal themes of good versus evil, and right versus wrong, set against the backdrop of never-ending empty plains, came to define America and Americans as a society to the rest of the movie-going world.  It’s as simple as that.

Though westerns remain a much respected genre among film buffs, the last three or four decades hasn’t been very kind to the genre– specifically in the commercial realm. The last western to gross more than a $100 million at the box office was the Razzie-winning “Wild Wild West” back in 1999; we’d have to go all the way back to 1994 to find a great one (“Unforgiven”) that crossed that mark. The last time I watched a very good western was back in 2007 when I watched “3:10 to Yuma” and “The Assassination of Jesse James” within weeks of each other. It must have been a sign because every western I watched since then has been garbage – including this year’s god-awful “Jonah Hex” which was some weird amalgamation between the western and supernatural horror genres. “True Grit,” which I had the immense pleasure of watching a week ago, joins “3:10 to Yuma,” “Jesse James” and Kevin Costner’s under-rated “Open Range” on the list of the best westerns I’ve watched in the last decade. Best of all, it's a throwback to golden-era classic westerns such as "The Searchers" and "Shane." And I say this not because I’m a huge Coen brother nut but simply because this is one of the year’s most entertaining mainstream pictures – sparkling with exceptional dialogue, terrific acting and gorgeous cinematography by the incomparable Roger Deakins whose Oscar-worthy work here should net him his ninth nomination.

Based on the Charles Portis novel of the same name (and not the 1969 John Wayne version), “True Grit” is about Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a head-strong and independent 14-year-old who seeks out to avenge her father’s murder at the hands of Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin) by hiring Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a boozing, trigger happy U.S. Marshall who's less than enthusiastic about taking on the job. However, after Mattie proves she’s good for the money (showcased via her sharp negotiating skills in one of the movie’s funniest and best-written scenes) and proves that she’ll go through whatever it takes to see the job done (crossing a river on horseback), Cogburn agrees to allow Mattie to join his party to find Cheney. The third member of this hunting party is LaBoeuf (comically pronounced Le-beef!), a dim-witted Texas Ranger, played wonderfully by Matt Damon, who intends to arrest Cheney in exchange for a reward. Much of the movie involves the bickering of the comical trio as they head out on their hunting trip through Indian country in search for Cheney and “Lucky” Ned Pepper (an almost unrecoognizable Barry Pepper), a notorious outlaw whom Cheney has teamed up with.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about “True Grit” is how funny it is. While I would hardly classify it as a comedy, I find it necessary that everyone who reads this know that this isn’t the hard-hitting, gunfire heavy western the amazing trailer makes the film out to be. “True Grit” isn’t in the same dead serious Coen territory as “No Country for Old Men” or “Blood Simple” but rather in the whimsical Coen cannon of “Fargo,” “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “Miller’s Crossing.” Yes, there are gun shots fired and more than one person gets brutally killed but the violence comes in short bursts and late into the picture.

Thus, you’ll find that most of “True Grit” is about the developing relationship between old, growling Rooster Cogburn, young, spunky Mattie Ross, and quirky LaBoeuf who keep on arguing and testing each other’s limits about the oddest and strangest things on their journey. For an action fan, this may sound boring but anyone who enjoys the Coens’ intelligent, witty and bizarre humor is going to get a real kick out of it. While a lot of the humor is lifted directly from the novel itself, the zaniest and eccentricities of the characters we meet in this film feel like they were undoubtedly conceived from the minds of the Coens who are simply the best working writing-directing team in the world. They don’t have four Oscars and 10 nominations for nothing.

Watching Jeff Bridges playing the role that got John Wayne his only Oscar may have been sacrilege to some but not me. I’ve never considered Wayne a great actor and never will. He was at best, a great movie star with a phenomenal presence who occasionally proved he could act (“The Searchers”). His Oscar-win for the 1969 version of “True Grit” was one of those make-up honorary Oscars that everyone crucifies the Academy for. Bridges isn’t spectacular as Cogburn but it’s still one of his better performances (much better than Wayne if you ask me). He gets points for the comic growl he makes when speaking and for a hilarious sequence where he tries to prove his skill as a marksman – while drunk. While Damon, Brolin and Pepper are very good in supporting performances, it’s young Steinfeld who steals the movie as Mattie. This is her first feature film role and I have a very good feeling she’ll be having a long career ahead of her after this. Starring opposite two Oscar winners is no easy task but overshadowing them is almost unheard of.

My only gripe with “True Grit” is that it wasn’t the bleak, moody Coen brother film I was expecting it to be – a hard-hitting, shoot-em-up with scalping and violence peppered all over the place. But I say this as someone who expects nothing but perfection from guys who have made one great motion picture after the next. Perhaps a second viewing will allow me to settle in and appreciate it more for what it is – a light-hearted revenge story that also happens to be a damned good time

BOTTOM LINE: “True Grit” isn’t one of the Coen brothers’ best works but don’t let that statement fool you into thinking that’s a denouncement. This is the best western I’ve seen since “3:10 to Yuma” in 2007 and one of the most technically accomplished movies of the year. Though it may be short on action, it makes it up with rich dialogues from the Coens, great performances from Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon and Roger Deakins’ beautiful cinematography. If you're a moviegoer looking for a fun time at the movies this holiday season, you're not going to get anything better than "True Grit."

GRADE: A-

TRUE GRIT

Written and Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld

Rated: PG-13 (for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images)