Hell or High Water Review

"I've been poor my whole life, like a disease passing from generation to generation. But not my boys, not anymore."

In simplistic terms, Hell or High Water is a western crime film about two brothers robbing banks, but the thing that makes the story really matter is why they are committing the act, not the act itself. The imagery that writer Taylor Sheridan and director David Mackenzie litter the film with isn't meant to be subtle, literally signs and graffiti splattered across these desolate plains that invoke an honesty about a portion of society that feels left behind. A section of rural America that's desperate for opportunity yet never is provided it. We see the words "debt relief" on an advertisement, but rather than provide an option for Toby Howard (Chris Pine) and his brother Tanner (Ben Foster), instead they drive right past it, never giving it a look. It's not that they missed it, it's that the world missed them. It's that to these two, ironically, the safest and most realistic option is robbing banks.

Toby Howard is divorced with two sons, but we don't know that just yet when the film opens with a scene of a hold up in a bank. Their motivation yet to be established, what becomes clear immediately though is the differences in demeanor between the men. Toby keeps his cool, relying on a solid plan and a vision of executing it to guarantee success. Tanner, however, is a loose cannon, an ex-con doing this for the money, sure, but also the thrill. Tanner takes unnecessary risks that they are getting away with now, but eventually such a way of life without proper discipline will catch up to them.

Eventually the specifics of why they are committing these crimes come to fruition, their mother recently deceased leaving their chances of keeping the family ranch unlikely due to a reverse mortgage that was taken out with Texas Midlands Bank, the same bank the boys have already now robbed. Unless the debt can be paid off within days, the ranch will foreclose, and this especially matters to Toby after recently discovering oil on the land. His goal is to rob enough in order to pay off the loan, sell the oil and give his sons a life he never had himself, one of financial comfort and stability. Unfortunately for Toby and Tanner, two Texas Rangers (played by Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) have been assigned to their case and are in pursuit.

Having now seen the last two films by David Mackenzie, this and the terrific prison drama Starred Up from a couple of years ago, I am more than impressed with the way he is able to handle brutal circumstances and elevate them with elegance and grace, words that may not seem applicable to a typical western crime thriller but it's that touch that proves to be absolutely necessary to convey the complexities of Hell or High Water. Those complexities live and breath in the written words of screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, whose only previous screenplay was last year's excellent Sicario, earning him six award nominations from various critic groups and the Writers Guild of America. Funny, authentic and meaningful dialogue, and I love the way the setting and literally the writing on the walls depict the struggle felt by so many without the screenplay getting overly preachy and to on-the-nose with the subject. When you see spray paint across a wall that reads "Three tours in Iraq but no bailout for people like us", Sheridan and Mackenzie are letting the setting do the talking, and it speaks loudly and with perfect clarity.

Perfectly cast with every actor filling their role like it was written just for them, Hell or High Water is the type of film that demands a second viewing and I can't wait to give it one. On the surface this movie can be appreciated thanks to the main premise, the performances and the literal chase going on between two criminal brothers and the Rangers never far behind, which was initially plotted in a way that reminded me of No Country for Old Men only the thematic differences between the two stories guaranteed a different end result. There is so much else going on here involving economic struggles and that class disparities that can be found across America, I can guarantee that even more of the message being delivered by Hell or High Water would resonate next time.



4.5/5