A Matt Damon Western Is Finding A New Audience On Streaming 15 Years Later

On the rare occasion that Matt Damon isn't palling around with his best bud Ben Affleck on various film sets, he can usually be found collaborating with some of the greatest directors on the planet. The star obviously has several incredibly popular movies under his belt with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, and Sir Ridley Scott. But one title from his filmography, dating back well over a decade ago, is suddenly feeling awfully relevant these days — and it's due in no small part to the power of streaming.

In 2010, Damon teamed up with Joel and Ethan Coen on a somewhat surprising project: a remake of the classic Western "True Grit." A remake of the John Wayne-starring 1969 film would've been daunting enough, but doing so with some of the biggest names in the business including Damon, Jeff Bridges, and Josh Brolin (along with a fresh-faced Hailee Steinfeld giving the performance of a lifetime, of course) might as well have felt like the Coen Brothers throwing down the gauntlet in the face of the cinema gods. Thankfully, not only did this bold venture result in one of the absolute best films the Coens ever directed, but audiences embraced it to the tune of over $250 million worldwide before the Academy responded in kind with a whopping 10 nominations (though zero wins, inexplicably enough). 15 years later, "True Grit" stands tall as one of the more promising success stories of the century, particularly in a post-pandemic era when such unmitigated box office success feels more and more like a rumor.

Not all hope is lost, however! A decade and a half might as feel like an eternity in terms of moviegoing tastes and trends, but the masses are clearly still hungry for quality genre entertainment a cut above the rest. "True Grit" is currently available to stream on Paramount+, providing a perfect opportunity for a whole new audience to appreciate this modern gem.

Some things were simply meant to be: the Coens making Westerns again and again, Matt Damon playing a straight-laced lawman bent on justice at all costs, and "True Grit" slotting in nicely alongside the rest of the cowboy-focused programming on Paramount+. One look at the streaming service's top 10 numbers (courtesy of FlixPatrol) confirms that their subscribers simply love them some old Westerns — whether it be more overt shows like "Yellowstone" or "Tulsa King" or more spiritually-related movies such as "Top Gun: Maverick" (hint: just imagine all those fighter jets as horses, as film writer Priscilla Page eloquently put it) or even Tom Cruise's 2012 "Jack Reacher" (where much the same applies, except with muscle cars). In that light, it makes perfect sense that "True Grit" would call Paramount+ home, even beyond the studio machinations of it all. If the all-knowing algorithm recommends "True Grit" to an audience hooked on every Taylor Sheridan series simply because of the similar genre vibes, well, who are we to judge?

"True Grit" tells the story of teenage farmhand Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) seeking vengeance on the violent outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) responsible for the cold-hearted killing of her father. Naturally, any "Lone wolf and cub" plot wouldn't be complete without the grizzled vet(s) at her side, which comes in the form of Damon's Texas Ranger LaBoeuf and Jeff Bridges' boozehound U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. In the capable hands of Joel and Ethan Coen (not to mention prolific cinematographer Roger Deakins), this familiar setup transforms into a timeless tale of bleak tragedy, dark humor, and the very meaning of Americana. Let's just say there's a reason why the film is upheld as one of the greatest Westerns of all time, even surpassing the original.

"True Grit" is currently available to stream on Paramount+.