A decaying West Texas becomes a playground for brothers turned outlaws. They’re robbing from the banks whom have already robbed them. In this magnificent modern day western, there’s no place for heroes and villains, only folks who have become accustomed to losing everything. Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby (Chris Pine) are getting damn sick and tired of it, allowing desperation to drive them down a serpentine road of stolen money with blood on their hands.
Hell or High Water is surprisingly funny, staggeringly angry, and fierce. Director David Mackenzie lets each scene soak in with brilliant pacing and makes every bullet count. He tightly wraps you up in the wild west, a lawless land where towns have been gutted and left for dead. What remains is a broken spirited community with nothing left to lose. Toby and Tanner aren’t so much stealing as they are surviving. Now that’s a dangerous thing.
Foster is fantastic as the wild card older brother who is numb to trouble. He will pull the trigger without thinking twice as his intensity lets loose. Prison may have helped him with that. The love for his little brother causes no hesitation to go in to battle with him to take back what is rightfully theirs. As Toby, Pine is tremendous as the attentive one with everything thought out so it all goes according to plan with zero casualties. However, the boys are snakebit with the arrival of Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), an aging cowboy with a badge who is a tad bonkers, but accomplished in the capture.
Bridges is rough and tough, showing us all how it’s done with some True Grit running through his veins. The banter between him and his partner Alberto (the terrific Gil Birmingham) provides humor when we need it most. Then, there’s the stunning showdown between Bridges and Pine that will give you chills with no gunshots required. Hell or High Water is a hell-raiser with a riled up cast fueling a fascinating yet infuriating film about those left in the dust. Their fury will leave a ringing in your ears.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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