TRUE GRIT

At its most basic, this movie is about a little girl seeking vengeance. I saw the 1969 version of TRUE GRIT starring John Wayne in 1969 and remember it as being a great movie.  I never saw it again after its initial release, and I really didn't remember what it was all about except that there was a little girl named Mattie Ross traveling the old west with the crusty, crotchety, old, one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, looking for something.
Well, what they were looking for, it turns out, is the killer of the little girl's father.  He had taken in a drifter, Tom Chaney, to do some work around his ranch and Tom Chaney turned on him and killed him.  Now Mattie is out to avenge her father's death and nab the man who killed her father.
She enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn, who has a reputation for no-nonsense bounty hunting.  He's the guy who has no ties or obligations to anything whatsoever.  He seems to like nobody and and nobody really likes him.  Doesn't care about anything -- we all know the type. But somewhere along the way, Rooster has developed a sense of morality and has chosen to use his skills to bring in bad guys for a living.
Since the killer is legitimately wanted by the law, a Texas Ranger by the name of LaBoeuf, goes along with Mattie and Rooster to administer some good ol' wild west justice.
Mattie's father was such a fresh kill that Mattie had been able to see his body in the undertaker's shop before they put him in the ground.  But what struck me as odd was that Mattie didn't really seem upset at all that she had just lost her father. She just seem pissed off.
So the three of them set off on their adventure.  Nobody really got along with each other and I guess that was supposed to be the humor in the film.  I suppose it was to an extent.  What I do remember from the first TRUE GRIT was that Mattie and Rooster eventually developed some sort of a bond, or friendship which never happened in this version.
I am a great fan of the Coen Brothers' movies, and I did like this movie, but it wasn't quiet up to par with most of their other stuff.  A few of their signature quirky characters were there (the bad guy who only makes animal sounds), but didn't really fit into the mood of the picture.  I won't tell you to rent the 1969 version instead of seeing this one because that version is probably terribly dated by now.
Maybe not..