Hailee Steinfeld

True Grit (2010)

A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer.

Solid and tasteful remake of a John Wayne classic with a great central performance, but the movie doesn't add anything new or unique.

On rewatching: Entertaining and well-made, but not better than the original; perfect role for Jeff Bridges, though.

Maltin***: "Remake of the 1969 hit allows Bridges to put his own stamp on the role...The Coens' script calls on their love for language..., while cinematographer Roger Deakins fills the screen with beautiful imagery. Entertaining, to be sure, but being as unsentimental as it is, there isn't any emotional resonance when it's all over."

Hailee Steinfeld

The Homesman (2014)

Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by a pious, independent-minded young woman, who in turn employs a low-life drifter to assist her.

Excellently directed Western with a dark, bleak vision of the period  is an intense experience, thanks to exhilarating performances by Jones and Swank  and a a good throughout and some magnificent cinematography.

Hailee Steinfeld

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailee_Steinfeld

Ender's Game (2013)

A young boy is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, a genocidal alien race which nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.

An above-average sci-fi drama with an adequate cast hits a sour note with its unabashed militarism which is not softened with a half-baked appeal for entente cordiale at the end of the movie.

Maltin**1/2: "Elaborate rendering of Orson Scott Card's beloved novel...Creditable adaptation of the youthful empowerment novel by writer-director Hood is great looking and extremely well cast. If only it didn't drag toward the climax."