Hell or High Water Review
Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and Ben Foster star in Hell or High Water, the new David Mackenzie film. While this is the first of his filmography that I’ve seen, I’m fascinated to see what else this guy can do and what he has already done, because I was very much impressed with Hell or High Water. It’s written by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote Sicario (2015), a great thriller. For me Hell or High Water was even better, and everything from the performances to the screenplay to the technical crafting was well executed.
The story is a simple one: it’s all about getting even. Pine and Foster play brothers who rob banks to try and settle the score with the banks and lawyers so that their now million dollar property can be left to their kids, but they need the cash to get their operations started. Bridges plays the Texas ranger who is assigned the case of tracking down and catching the brothers. Bridges never disappoints, and Hell or High Water is no exception. Also great is his partner on the job, Alberto, played by Gil Birmingham. While the three leads were at the top of their games, Birmingham impressed me the most. Hopefully he can get some more great work and good roles following this film. So as for Pine and Foster, they’re great. Pine has impressed me before in films, whether it be his hilarious turn in Into the Woods (2014) or the rebooted Star Trek series (2009-present), but as the collected brother with the most at stake, this is perhaps his best performance. Ben Foster plays the other side of the coin, the ticking-time-bomb brother who has nothing to lose and is a loose cannon. Again he has given good performances before, but this might also be a personal best for him as well.
The film might not appeal to everybody based on the opening act, which is a pretty slow burn. We aren’t informed of why the brothers are robbing the banks until close to halfway through, but once that is established the plot thickens further, the film kicks it into high gear and it leads to a phenomenal and action packed finale. Otherwise there is some violence in the last act that might throw some off and language, but otherwise I anybody who enjoys westerns, thrillers, and crime stories will get a kick out of Hell or High Water. I guess the less said the better on this one. I went in relatively cold to what the film was about, just knowing who was in it, and for me it turned out to be one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year. From the audience’s perspective, Hollywood and all major studios don’t make original films anymore. Everything has to be based on a comic book, a novel, a TV series, or part of a franchise or cinematic universe. True, there is a lot more of those around then there has been in the past, but there is also still a lot of original films being made. The problem is that the average consumer isn’t seeing them. Sometimes it’s due to a lack of advertisement or buzz, and sometimes it’s due to the nature of the production. If it’s an independent film, the chances aren’t great that it’s going to be topping the box office charts. But still, some of the better movies of the year have been originals: The Witch (2016), The Nice Guys (2016), and now Hell or High Water, and this just names a few of the original films. And every year these consumers should pay attention to the awards shows. When they say “Original Screenplay” or “Written directly for the screen”, then you know it’s not based on a property or previously published material. So for those of you out there complaining that we need more original movies, or that everything’s the same, try something different. Try Hell or High Water. You’ll thank me later.
My rating: 9/10.
