This movie is more high-noon western than high-octane thriller, but there is indeed a heist at its heart.
Two brothers, Toby, tall and handsome (Chris Pine), and Tanner, short and surly (Ben 
Foster), have little in common except for the rough past they come from, which they are both desperate to escape. Toby has spent the last few years caring for their mother while the family ranch slips away. Tanner has spent the past year since he’s been released from jail tempting the fates to put him back. Now they’re working together to save the family ranch from default – and will do so by robbing a bunch of Texas Midland bank branches, and paying the bank back with its own stolen money.
The only catch: sheriff Marcus (Jeff Bridges) is close to retirement but not keen to go, and this one last case is not going to be the blemish on his career. He chases the brothers all over Texas until he pinpoints the next branch they’re about to hit, and lies in wait.
Hell Or High Water is superbly acted. You can’t even say with certainty which of the three leads steals the film, but they’re all making the right choices, the quiet choices that make for the most interesting of character studies. That said, the secondary characters – and hell, even the one-liners – are all praise-worthy here. And I am obliged, once again, to worship at the altar of Jeff Bridges, chronically underrated but truly one of the wonders of the world.
The pace helps set this movie apart. It’s not fast or furious: it blows by at about the speed of a tumbleweed in a gentle breeze, which means you have time to get to know everyone, 
and in getting to know them, maybe you actually care. There is a certain sympathy accrued for both the cops and the robbers. It’s the kind of movie that made the car ride home extra engaging, as we figured where they all stood on the Bad Guy Scale. Toby, for example, is robbing the bank that robbed him. He’s doing it to give his kids a future. But he’s using a gun, which means people could get hurt. So is he good, bad, or somewhere in between? 49% good? 51% good? 75% relatable? 100% justified?
One thing’s for sure: the blackest hat of all is reserved for the banks. The Big Short was last year’s testament to the American Dream’s foreclosure, and although my hat’s off to Adam McKay for making a narrative film out of a nonfiction book (and I don’t mean a biography – this baby was characterless, plotless, and read more like a textbook, by which I mean full of facts and figures, but not remotely dry or boring), it never really resonated with me. Hell or High Water puts a name and a face to poverty, and calls it a disease. An epidemic, even. Director David Mackenzie has accomplished something significant here, dragging the good old Western into the 21st century, a time of economic anxiety, where the little towns look even more derelict and neglected than they did in the wild, wild west. There’s an ache to this film cultivated by fantastic dialogue and scenic shots, handily catapulting itself into my top 5 of 2016.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
Seeing this tonight. Seems a while since I’ve movie watched a good adult thriller, and while it may not be Sicario great, I’m really looking forward to it.
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You’ll have fun!
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…I am obliged, once again, to worship at the altar of Jeff Bridges, chronically underrated but truly one of the wonders of the world. OH YEAH!!!
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Ooh yes going to the top of the list, Jeff bridges is the bomb.
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Jay,
I still really don’t know what to say about the film…which I find quite interesting. Except I think Ben Foster sorta shoplifted the movie…it may take a few years for people to notice.
RR
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Oh sweet. Glad you dug it too, this was such a fun one. I also couldn’t really decide who left the biggest impression, but I think in the end it was Chris Pine for me
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Well, I think he was the biggest surprise. I didn’t know he had it in him!
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Sold me on this one, Jay. I’m always reluctant when I see ‘modern western’ or similar mentioned with movies that aren’t really westerns. However I’ve seen a good few and reckon this might just be another to add to the list. I’ll be sure to report back when I catch this … sooner than later, I hope!
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I hope so too. Let me know!
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Glad to see this review because it’s at my theater, but I knew little about it. Wasn’t sure it was worth seeing or not. Sounds like it is. Thanks!
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Yeah, Sean kept needing reminders. It’s a small film that could easily pass us by. Glad we caught it. It deserves to be seen and I hope it finds its audience.
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Oh, so glad you gave it a “Go ahead and enjoy” review! Thanks, Jay! I have been contemplating seeing this for over a week. . . this means movies sometime soon! I liked “Pete’s Dragon,” but must say my seven year old grandson, Micah took it to heart and cried in the middle. I felt so bad, he is a sensitive soul. My little girl grandies didn’t cry but my friend, Linda who came with us, (potty helper) said she was teary eyed but I didn’t see her wiping tears like I was. That is all on my movie front, lately.
Hope you had a great Labor Day, you group of movie reviewers (“assholes”) ha ha! 🙂
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I read about this one when it came out. I’ve only heard good things.
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Getting the commercials for this one now also, and it is on the list, and now for sure, I’ll get the Nubby to go, great review Jay thanks
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I’m not really into Westerns, though of course there are exceptions (as you have read w/ my review of The Dark Valley). But this one has been getting a ton of great reviews that I have to check it out!
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Well it’s just present-day Texas, I think you can handle it!
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Terrific piece of writing. Pine and Foster have gone up in my estimation in recent years – both turning in some terrific work, particularly Foster who I didn’t think had it in him – so there’s an added reason for me to check this out. But great to hear such positivity.
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Damm, the first picture made me think it was another movie from the Supersize Me director.
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This is one of my top films of this year. I liked how the script and the performances added complexity to the trope of immoral criminals.
I would appreciate if you would check out my 100 Word Review at https://scribblesofstageandscreen.com/2016/12/16/hell-or-high-water-black-comedy-road-movie-with-heart-100-word-review/
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