Movie Review: Hell or High Water

Before I saw Wind River, there was Hell or High Water.

A movie best described as a "neo-Western heist film," Hell or High Water is the story of two brothers in West Texas, Toby Howard (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), who carry out a series of bank robberies in order to have the money needed to save Toby's ranch from foreclosure. Hunting down the two robbers are a pair of Texas Rangers, Marcus Hamilton (played by Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham).

Like Wind River, Hell or High Water is a film that takes place in a poverty-stricken part of the country, although instead of the snowy vastness of Wyoming we are in the wide plains of West Texas. There's a lot to compare between the two movies: they're both films that draw a lot on Westerns by updating them to the modern era (while still showing in a lot of ways, how some things have barely changed over the centuries since the Old West); they both deal a lot with poverty, crime, and neglect or outright exploitation of people (the Native Americans in Wind River who are ignored by the government; the Texans who are exploited by the bank)...

But like with Wind River, that's not to say that this is a joyless movie. In fact, it's surprisingly humorous at times. A lot of that owes to the strength of its performances: both Chris Pine and Ben Foster deliver very convincingly as brothers driven to do whatever's necessary to build a better future for their family. The two characters have their distinct traits - Toby is the more cautious, methodical one, while Tanner is wild and lives for the thrill. Toby is a family man (and it is his kids that they're doing this for), while Tanner is an ex-con with a big fondness for the idea of the Wild West bandit and fancies himself a modern-day Comanche warrior.

Toby is a father, who wants to provide for his kids, even if he's divorced. His family farm has been trapped by the Texas Midlands Bank in a reverse-mortgage loan, and he wants to find a way to pay it off and hurt the bank as well. To that end, he concocts a stunningly well-planned scheme for getting the money: he and his brother hit various small branches of the bank, taking only small bills (to avoid dye packs)... then they exchange the cash at an out-of-state casino, and then use the money to pay off the loan. Essentially, they're paying the bank with its own money.

It's a brilliant plan, and one that almost goes off without a hitch.

Well, almost. Between Tanner's hotheaded tendencies, and the fact that in Texas, some bank customers are armed, things can get quite hairy for the brothers.

I was very impressed with both brothers' performers, but especially so with Chris Pine. After mainly seeing him as Captain Kirk in the newer Star Trek films, I wasn't very impressed with his ability as an actor. Here, however, he brings a real humanity and depth to the character he's portraying, and I found him to have some of the film's best dramatic moments.

Now, in addition to the story with the brothers, you also have the Texas Rangers assigned to investigate the series of robberies. Both Ranger Hamilton and Ranger Parker are played quite well by their actors, and it's with them that the film has some of its best comedy.

That's thanks to Jeff Bridges, who delivers an absolutely fantastic performance. He brings a lot of the film's comedy through his needling of Parker (done with a lot of inappropriate, kind-of racist jokes, although it's clear Hamilton is just doing this out of a playful teasing sense), as well as his other interactions, whether it be in questioning a "sassy" witness, or in one hilarious scene where he and Parker eat at a diner staffed by one of the most sarcastic and fiercest waitresses in all of cinema.

Hamilton: "One thing's for sure. Ain't nobody ever gonna try and rob this place."

Bridges' role isn't all comedy. Far from it. There is a deep sense of humanity and duty to the character; for all of his racist jokes about his Mexican/Indian partner ("I'll get to the Mexican half after I'm through with the Indian ones... but it's gonna take a while"), you really do get a sense of his fondness for his partner. And also, the dedication that Hamilton brings to his job - a big part of his character in the film is struggling with facing his impending retirement, and what to do with himself after this last case.

Eventually, the Rangers and the robbers' paths collide, in a thrillingly memorable (and emotional) showdown, which I dare not spoil. All I will say, is that it is a fantastic scene, and one that is, probably, uniquely Texan. XD

The conclusion of the movie is a powerful one, too, carrying with it an effective cliffhanger that still conjures up images of an old Western standoff.

I would definitely recommend watching, for fans of Westerns, or fans of crime films.