Review #1,130: 'Hell or High Water' (2016)

There's a real old-fashioned, rough-and-tumble aura about the opening scene of Hell or High Water, as two bank robbers break into two Texas Midlands banks wearing balaclavas and waving guns before fleeing the scene with dust filling the air behind their clapped-out banger. While the legendary outlaws of the West fled the scene of the crime on horseback and sported much more impressive facial hair, this modern-day, un-flashy heist carries the same rush of crime-fuelled adrenaline as watching the likes of Billy the Kid and Jesse James in countless genre movies of old. Yet while the picture certainly attempts to recapture the spirit of the Wild West mythos, its themes are very much rooted in 21st century sociological struggles.

The two would-be thugs aren't after the cash for the glamour, but instead they are brothers desperately trying to raise the cash required to pay off the bank about to roll over on their deceased parents' farm. It turns out that the quiet, more thoughtful sibling Toby (Chris Pine) is the mastermind behind the series of robberies, which are made extra delicious by the fact that they are robbing the very bank they are looking to pay back. Ex-jailbird Tanner (Ben Foster) seems to go along with it just for the thrill-ride, and although he is sympathetic and dedicated to his brother's cause, he's going to carry out his work with a balls-to-the-wall attitude, as it seems he was simply born bad. The jobs are planned with expert precision; using a different vehicle every time and burying them afterwards, hitting the banks early, stealing only unmarked bills, and cleaning the money in the casino afterwards.

But it isn't long until ageing Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) in on their tails. Speaking as though he has a mouth full to the brim with chewing tobacco, Marcus is an old-school cowboy who enjoys making fun of his half-Cherokee partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) and falling asleep beneath the stars with an almost-demolished eight-pack dangling from the grip. He is also the smartest guy in any room, although his easy-going demeanour means nobody seems to realise. After Tanner makes an improvised smash-and-grab while his brother sits oblivious in a diner across the way, Marcus goes and figures the whole thing out. His un-PC sense of humour combined with Bridges' natural screen presence means that Marcus is a real crowd-pleaser, and a nice counterbalance to the emotional weight of Toby and Tanner's desperation.

I had a new level of respect for Pine after the film, as he is an actor who has found life difficult outside of the Star Trek franchise, but seems to have found a perfect fit in the gangly, stoic cowpoke. Toby may even garner the most sympathy as the father struggling to keep up with his child support as well as trying to rescue his childhood home. Yet director David Mackenzie (Starred Up) and writer Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) work to keep their characters grey, and tell a more honest story of how people react in times of financial hardship. The great enemy here are the banks, eager to swallow up property by the handful as posters offering debt relief litter the highways. It's an intelligent film, and one of many in recent times to react angrily to a every increasing capitalist society. Yet it's also gritty and thrilling, and isn't afraid to indulge in a moment of bad-assery, because after all, isn't that what makes the West so endearing?


Directed by: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie