‘Hell or High Water’ is the type of film I crave when I go to the movies. It seems easy to just categorize this film as a western crime drama, but that does it a disservice. This is a low key, under-the-radar type of film, but has some of the most mature and powerful performances that I have seen in awhile. It is a movie about two brothers that are bank robbers in west Texas pursued by the law containing all the clichés that you would think would apply, but it goes deeper than that. It is truly a portrait of poverty in west Texas without becoming preachy and it is also a character study of right and wrong without being judgmental. A difficult task ,but writer Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) does an incredible if not subtle job in fleshing out this portrait of the modern American West.
Ben Foster and Chris Pine play Tanner and Toby Howard. Two brothers on a bank robbery spree to raise money to save their recently deceased mother’s house from foreclosure. While Ben Foster isn’t a household name yet, his performances (Lone Survivor) have continued to impress me over the years and this one is no exception. Tanner has been in and out of jail his whole life and he understands more than most that no one ever truly gets away with anything, yet he loves his brother (despite all the name calling) and will do whatever it takes to help him. Chris Pine is the true standout of this film for me. This is by far his most mature role to date and I would even call it an Oscar level performance. Pine has been in the spotlight in recent years in Hollywood blockbusters, most notably for Star Trek and the upcoming Wonder Woman, but his low key portrayal of Toby Tanner hits the mark perfectly. He is the ‘good’ brother, but one thing the film explores is how bad people can do good things and good people can do unforgivable things. Pine keeps his performance subtle and morally ambiguous, which makes it so powerful.
Jeff Bridges has redefined his career by playing grizzled, salt of the earth, country boys in his later years (True Grit). He plays the Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton, who is on the verge of retirement with all the gusto one would expect, but there is more to him than that. We wince at his racial insensitivity to his Mexican\Indian partner Alberto, but despite the audience and Alberto’s distaste, you can sense the love and respect between the two, albeit strained at times. Marcus is of a bygone era, but panicking at the idea of retirement and becoming irrelevant.
As the brothers rob the fictional Midland Banks across Texas as a sort of Robin Hoodesque journey to try and pay off the bank loan from the very predatory bank that gave the loan they knew their mother wouldn’t be able to pay back you develop some sympathy for the brothers. However, even though there is sympathy you know and feel what they are doing is wrong and leading them both down a path they won’t be able to come back from. We shake our heads at their decisions, but the constant backdrop of billboards for revers mortgages and predatory debt relief pits our sympathy against our moral code. That’s where I think the film’s strength lies; it evokes sympathy without giving absolution. One of the most poignant moments was when Rangers Marcus and Alberto were talking about how the Comanche lands were taken over by the Europeans. Marcus wondered how Alberto wasn’t more bitter than he was. Alberto calmly explained that at one time Marcus’s ancestors in Europe were taken over by someone who forced them to assimilate and now the poor in Texas are being taken over and driven out by Corporations like the Midland Bank. “It’s just the way of things” Alberto explains.
Tanner and Toby are the protagonists whom we grow to love, but we know they don’t deserve to get away with what they are doing. Ranger Marcus is a dogged lawman who is doing what is right, but is he doing it for the right reasons? I hope I don’t spoil the film by saying that the ending does not leave the story wrapped up in a nice comfortable bow. In fact, the lack of feeling satisfied or any sense of resolution is another one of the film’s strengths. The Director, David MacKenzie, is an Englishman and I am amazed at how he nailed not only the look and feel of West Texas, but its’ cadence as well. The poverty and mundane existence was captured so perfectly that it almost seemed foreign and exotic even to an American such as myself.
In an era of big budget and big production, this film will come and go quietly, but I left the theatre feeling I had just witnessed three Oscar worthy performances. If you are a fan of acting and character study, then I can think of no better film than this in recent years of actors performing at the top of their craft. It is a slow paced film, but it kept me engaged and riveted throughout. I’m always leery when I see trailers that emphasize how much the critics love this film as that always seems desperate to me, but in this case the adulation is justified. Just a fantastic film.
I give this film **** stars
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