Renowned for their inventive directing style, the Coen brothers display their filmmaking prowess in a reimaging of a famed western original. The brothers twin their unique style with classic western conventions to create a pastiche that is brimming with attitude.

The performances from the whole cast are stunning, but no-one shows as much grit as fourteen year old Mattie Ross. Her father’s death made her a stronger character and she spends the duration of the film living in his shadow. Not only is she engulfed in her father’s oversized coat but also in a world full of danger. She rides in his saddle and wields his Colt; it is clear that she is a tough cookie. She may only be a child, but through action and dialogue she appears much more mature. She controls the people she encounters from the tight-fisted trader who is left quaking in his boots to the strutting Rooster whose tail feathers she regularly plucks.