HELL OR HIGH WATER2016 — 102 minutes — Crime/Drama
Director: David Mackenzie
Country: United States
IMDB: 8.3
Metacritic: 88
RT: 99%
EpicEnthusiast's Rating: A-
Watch this movie if you enjoy:
- crime dramas
- cowboys/Texas rangers
- Jeff Bridges
Avoid this movie if you dislike:
- westerns/Southwest culture
- violence
(spoilers below)
Hell or High Water isn't revolutionary. It doesn't set new standards or beg any questions within the crime genre. It won't win four Oscars or go down in history. It's just a great film.
Chris Pine (Star Trek fame) and Ben Foster (previously a cowboy in 3:10 to Yuma) pair up as two vastly different west Texan brothers. While Foster's character Tanner was in prison for a gnarly crime, Pine's character Toby was taking care of their dying mother and dealing with a looming divorce. One is a dull, violent ticking time-bomb. The other is a reserved, caring father with a bit of a dark side. With their mother's ranch in danger of being seized by the bank, Toby goes to Tanner with a daring plan.
In an attempt to rid of what Toby calls the disease of being poor — one that's been running in his family for generations — he proposes that he and Tanner rob branches of Texas Midlands Bank, the very bank that would seize the ranch. As expressed in the film, there's nothing more Texan than robbing a bank and paying them back with their own money.
Surprisingly, the plan is just as detailed as it is desperate — after swapping the cash (loose bills only) out for poker chips and then a check at the casino, the funds are untraceable. But, like any great crime saga, law enforcement isn't far behind.
Jeff Bridges, who is also no stranger to the cowboy hat (see, True Grit), plays Marcus Hamilton, an old loner Texas Ranger on the brink of retirement. In a very similar role as Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men, Hamilton thinks he's seen it all until the Howard brothers come around. Ultimately, the bank-robbery spree takes a toll on him and puts a damper on his retirement.
From the very opening shot of Hell or High Water, director David Mackenzie makes it clear that atmosphere is his priority. Filmed entirely near the Texas border in New Mexico, the landscape in the film is eerily authentic. Complete with cattle, concealed-carry gun permits, and Shiner Bock beer, it's a pitch-perfect setting for the gritty storyline. In fact, it's the only setting the story could take place.
The robberies are a far cry from other famous depictions in Heat or The Town. Toby and Tanner typically hit the branches first thing in the morning, and in rural Texas, that means no one's in the bank. The one's that are there, a snarky old teller or a curious old cowboy, are almost unfazed by guns. Everyone's walking around with a pistol and questions of why the brothers are robbing the bank are far more prominent than why a gun is being shoved in their face.
To dispose of a getaway car in Boston or Los Angeles, you might torch it or store it in a garage. To dispose of a getaway car in west Texas, you might take it back to the family ranch and bury in a pre-dug ditch. It's these nuances of the landscape that make Hell or High Water so engrossing. Yes, it's Jeff Bridges in his usual dominance and yes, it's beautiful cinematography, but it's that six pack of Lone Star siting on the worn-down plastic porch table that ties it all together.
As a whole, the film takes on a sometimes stoic and steady tone, but thanks in part to the script by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario), it never drags. Bridges delivers balance with his quick wit and sarcastic quips about his half Native American, half Mexican partner, but it all meshes well with the otherwise tense storyline. When Toby and Tanner resort to hitting a larger branch in Post, things go sour and the bullets finally start flying — despite a couple questionable decisions from patrons attempting to push back, Mackenzie is up to the challenge. The gunfight sequences are taut and just as brutal as they should be.
In one standout scene, Tanner pulls out an assault rifle and starts spraying rounds at a group of trucks that followed him and Toby from the bank in Post. Their attempt to take justice into their own hands is quickly turned away, but the most notable aspect of the scene is Tanner actually reloading the rifle. We've grown accustomed to unlimited bullets and remarkable accuracy in shootouts on screen, and the fact that Tanner's clips were used quickly was oddly refreshing. Again, the authenticity in Hell or High Water taking over.
The same can be said about the writing and the dialect of the characters. Pine, born in Los Angeles, and Foster, born in Boston, pose quite convincing Texan accents that are really put to the test by Sheridan's work. Foster has proven to be a versatile actor over his career, but for Pine, making the drastic transformation from space to farm land, it was quite the breakthrough.
Even more impressive than the acting from Pine and Foster, though, was the chemistry. In the moments it's needed most, both are thoroughly convincing as brothers. They were always meant to go down separate paths, but when those paths collide in a time of need, it's clearly meaningful to both of them. In one sequence, after finishing up a meal in a diner, Tanner eyes a different bank across the street and decides to go on a solo run while Toby finishes his steak. With his shirt stuffed with bills, Tanner runs out of the bank and yells at Toby to start the car. Overwhelmed by having to man the getaway, he eventually says "I must've been truly desperate to ask you for help." He was desperate, but he knew his brother and knew the plan wasn't possible without him.
While it's hard to imagine the plot of Hell or High Water as a brotherly bonding experience, it truly feels that way by the end of the film. In one stunning shot of dusk on the ranch, Tanner and Toby shove each other around with beers in hand and the natural New Mexican light shining down on them. It brings a rare smile from Toby and it's here that the depth of the story is revealed.
In one final questioning at the end of the film, in which Hamilton is digging for answers, he eventually has to put on a show for Toby's ex-wife that shows up and says "It's amazing what we do for our kids, isn't it?" That's what the plan was all about for Toby — his son, who he hadn't seen in person in over a year, would not be infected with the disease that broke his family.
In some ways, Hell or High Water is a family film. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more American film, and in turn, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Hollywood film with the same impact. Deep in the Texan landscape is a subtle, yet heartfelt story of a father looking out for his kids. It turns violent because it has to, not because Mackenzie wants it to.
He reminds us that there's often real beauty in real crime.
-EE
As of August 29, 2016, Hell or High Water is in theaters everywhere. Here's the trailer:
Hell or High Water isn't revolutionary. It doesn't set new standards or beg any questions within the crime genre. It won't win four Oscars or go down in history. It's just a great film.
Chris Pine (Star Trek fame) and Ben Foster (previously a cowboy in 3:10 to Yuma) pair up as two vastly different west Texan brothers. While Foster's character Tanner was in prison for a gnarly crime, Pine's character Toby was taking care of their dying mother and dealing with a looming divorce. One is a dull, violent ticking time-bomb. The other is a reserved, caring father with a bit of a dark side. With their mother's ranch in danger of being seized by the bank, Toby goes to Tanner with a daring plan.
In an attempt to rid of what Toby calls the disease of being poor — one that's been running in his family for generations — he proposes that he and Tanner rob branches of Texas Midlands Bank, the very bank that would seize the ranch. As expressed in the film, there's nothing more Texan than robbing a bank and paying them back with their own money.
Surprisingly, the plan is just as detailed as it is desperate — after swapping the cash (loose bills only) out for poker chips and then a check at the casino, the funds are untraceable. But, like any great crime saga, law enforcement isn't far behind.
 |
| Chris Pine and Ben Foster in Hell or High Water |
From the very opening shot of Hell or High Water, director David Mackenzie makes it clear that atmosphere is his priority. Filmed entirely near the Texas border in New Mexico, the landscape in the film is eerily authentic. Complete with cattle, concealed-carry gun permits, and Shiner Bock beer, it's a pitch-perfect setting for the gritty storyline. In fact, it's the only setting the story could take place.
The robberies are a far cry from other famous depictions in Heat or The Town. Toby and Tanner typically hit the branches first thing in the morning, and in rural Texas, that means no one's in the bank. The one's that are there, a snarky old teller or a curious old cowboy, are almost unfazed by guns. Everyone's walking around with a pistol and questions of why the brothers are robbing the bank are far more prominent than why a gun is being shoved in their face.
To dispose of a getaway car in Boston or Los Angeles, you might torch it or store it in a garage. To dispose of a getaway car in west Texas, you might take it back to the family ranch and bury in a pre-dug ditch. It's these nuances of the landscape that make Hell or High Water so engrossing. Yes, it's Jeff Bridges in his usual dominance and yes, it's beautiful cinematography, but it's that six pack of Lone Star siting on the worn-down plastic porch table that ties it all together.
 |
| Jeff Bridges as Marcus Hamilton |
In one standout scene, Tanner pulls out an assault rifle and starts spraying rounds at a group of trucks that followed him and Toby from the bank in Post. Their attempt to take justice into their own hands is quickly turned away, but the most notable aspect of the scene is Tanner actually reloading the rifle. We've grown accustomed to unlimited bullets and remarkable accuracy in shootouts on screen, and the fact that Tanner's clips were used quickly was oddly refreshing. Again, the authenticity in Hell or High Water taking over.
The same can be said about the writing and the dialect of the characters. Pine, born in Los Angeles, and Foster, born in Boston, pose quite convincing Texan accents that are really put to the test by Sheridan's work. Foster has proven to be a versatile actor over his career, but for Pine, making the drastic transformation from space to farm land, it was quite the breakthrough.
Even more impressive than the acting from Pine and Foster, though, was the chemistry. In the moments it's needed most, both are thoroughly convincing as brothers. They were always meant to go down separate paths, but when those paths collide in a time of need, it's clearly meaningful to both of them. In one sequence, after finishing up a meal in a diner, Tanner eyes a different bank across the street and decides to go on a solo run while Toby finishes his steak. With his shirt stuffed with bills, Tanner runs out of the bank and yells at Toby to start the car. Overwhelmed by having to man the getaway, he eventually says "I must've been truly desperate to ask you for help." He was desperate, but he knew his brother and knew the plan wasn't possible without him.
 |
| Filming location in Clovis, New Mexico |
In one final questioning at the end of the film, in which Hamilton is digging for answers, he eventually has to put on a show for Toby's ex-wife that shows up and says "It's amazing what we do for our kids, isn't it?" That's what the plan was all about for Toby — his son, who he hadn't seen in person in over a year, would not be infected with the disease that broke his family.
In some ways, Hell or High Water is a family film. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more American film, and in turn, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Hollywood film with the same impact. Deep in the Texan landscape is a subtle, yet heartfelt story of a father looking out for his kids. It turns violent because it has to, not because Mackenzie wants it to.
He reminds us that there's often real beauty in real crime.
-EE
As of August 29, 2016, Hell or High Water is in theaters everywhere. Here's the trailer:
