A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate
scheme in order to save their family’s farm in West Texas.
Chris Pine and Ben Foster as the bank-robbing brothers share
great chemistry and draw sympathy from the audience with compelling
performances. Jeff Bridges stands out however as the hardened cop tasked to
track down the brothers. His racist slurs and aggravated man persona works
perfectly with his gravely, yet genuine voice and he finds perfect timing in his
comedic delivery.
Texas brothers -- Toby (Chris Pine), and Tanner (Ben Foster),
come together after years divided to rob branches of the bank threatening to
foreclose on their family land. For them, the hold-ups are just part of a
last-ditch scheme to take back a future that seemed to have been stolen from
under them. Justice seems to be theirs, until they find themselves on the radar
of Texas Ranger, Marcus (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last grand pursuit on
the eve of his retirement, and his half-Comanche partner, Alberto (Gil
Birmingham). As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their scheme,
and with the Rangers on their heels, a showdown looms at the crossroads where
the values of the Old and New West murderously collide.
The American western seems to be slowly making a comeback in recent years. With films such as The Rover, Slow West and True Grit there have been some interesting and unique approaches to this old genre. Hell or High Water fits right in with these mentioned films by containing a lot of comedy, engaging characters, and no holds barred violence.
ReplyDeleteHell or High Water is a surprisingly great American western.
Toby and Tanner are on a collision course – with the law, with each other — but “Hell or High Water” doesn’t go where you expect. Pine and Foster genuinely convince you they’re brothers, with a punchy affectionate conflicted bond that reaches all the way back.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is on the right side of things, even when it barely knows where that is.
That’s great! Was surprised to see such cast! Marvelous acting and outstanding plot despite I was skeptic at first about ‘Hell or High Water’, but Kremerman recommended watching it, so I don’t regret having watch it! Cool!
ReplyDeleteA soulful outlaw tale with a socioeconomic perspective and a rich sense of place.
Hell Or High Water plays out in unexpected ways, culminating in a tense final showdown that's somehow simultaneously an epilogue, the story having already concluded.
ReplyDeleteMackenzie is about to hit the big time with this one as Hollywood will no doubt be knocking at his door with a lot more opportunities.
For a pacy cops-and-robbers exercise, it doesn't only have smart things to say, but even smarter ways to put them.