Hell or High Water

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Directed by David Mackenzie
Starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges
Running time: 102 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Hell or High Water tells a tale set in contemporary Texas of brothers on a daring spree of bank robberies and the Rangers pursuing them.  Pine, Foster and Bridges are all great in this, though Pine definitely is the one going most out of his comfort zone.  Not a showy affair, the plot still has both excitement and drama in its heists, relationships, and real world relevance.  Highly recommended.


On a bright and quiet early morning in Texas, two men, Toby and Tanner Howard (Pine, Foster) break the peace by robbing several small-town banks.  The two are new to the business, but they are effective and get away, giddy, before the police can arrive.  As the brothers return home and try to cover their tracks, word of the crimes gets to the Texas Rangers where Hamilton (Bridges), near retirement, and his partner Parker are put on the case.  It turns out that Toby and Tanner have bigger goals in mind than petty theft and thrills, and as the Howard brothers continue to hit banks, the Rangers are left with interviewing their shaken victims.

Toby and Tanner head to a casino to launder the money and ready themselves for the final move in their daring plan.  Parker becomes frustrated by the lack of progress on the case, but Hamilton gradually begins to piece it together.  When the brothers make their final move, the Rangers connect the last dots and race to put the crime spree to an end.

Hell or High Water has a small core cast, and a very good one.  Chris Pine and Ben Foster take the leads as brothers in crime Toby and Tanner Howard.  Pine is a surprise here, not playing one of his usual charismatic leading man roles such as Captain Kirk.  He plays certainly the more sympathetic of the brothers, but Toby is still a very damaged character, raised in a broken home and failing to raise one of his own.  Pine does well, perhaps most notably in being low key and not commanding the spotlight as in his other roles.  Foster is much more familiar with his wild, intense, brutal character, having played similar roles in 3:10 to Yuma and others.  He brings the same sense of danger and bad-dude nature when needed, but also effectively portrays a fiercely loyal brother.  It's hard to root for him, but he also manages to earn some sympathy here and there.  Jeff Bridges is also in a familiar role as the lead Ranger on the case.  Those who have seen him in True Grit (highly recommended, if you haven't) will note not just vocal and physical similarities but also the weariness and detachedness mixed with a sense of duty and honor.  Bridges is just as good here as he was in that Oscar-nominated role, adding humor, tension in the hunt for the brothers, and much more.  His partner, Gil Birmingham, doesn't get as much to do but he's also good in the supporting role.

Hell or High Water is not a "big" film in the action of an Avengers or drama of a Spotlight, but its quiet, modest combination of tense and thoughtful elements make for a great film.  The main event is the plot: a daring set of bank robberies in service of a greater goal (which I'll leave secret), and the efforts of an odd-couple Ranger team to stop them.  The initial robberies are interesting, seemingly realistic scenes that make more sense as we learn more about the brothers.  And the climax is a very tense, extended scene that does justice to the earlier build up while not going overboard.  The driver of all these events is family, and High Water paints the Howard family picture in just enough detail, using the right moments to allow the audience to fill in the blanks and create authentic sympathy.  Toby and Tanner's relationship is of course the main one, and well done, but attention is paid to Hamilton and Parker's, too - one that is simultaneously more humorous and more contentious.  Finally, Hell or High Water is a film of the times, illustrating the desperate economic straits of much of rural America.  Whether it's the Howard brothers passing endless debt relief billboards on the way to their targets or a group of witnesses with little sympathy for the banks that have been hit, the reality is ever present to some degree.  The film does not dwell on this, but uses it to enhance the effects of the drama.

***

After a summer of blockbusters - and a frankly disappointing one at that - it was refreshing to recharge with a high quality, entertaining drama in Hell or High Water.  This film should find itself in the thick of several Oscar races come this winter.  It is well made in almost every regard, from the script to the cinematography to the pacing.  I may bump up my rating to a straight "A" at some point, though after a first viewing it doesn't quite have the "wow" factor top put it over the top.  Still, I highly recommend this film for anyone - well, unless you're looking for something simple and cheerful.  Come to see some very good performances and a modest yet rich story, and you won't be disappointed.



By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50162230