Hell or High Water

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Dale Dickey, William Sterchi
Directed by: David Mackenzie
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two brothers (Chris Pine, Ben Foster) rob banks while two lawmen (Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham) hunt them down.

Review:

Tim: I love Hell or High Water. There's absolutely no reason that this movie about two bank robbing brothers should have received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Except for the fact that this movie absolutely deserved it. This brilliantly written (kudos, Taylor Sheridan), exceptionally acted, and expertly directed movie emerged as one of the best films of 2016. I enjoyed this movie so much- it's a terrific example of just incredible filmmaking.

This movie takes a simple concept, bank robberies, and it elevates to the peak of the genre. There's so much meat in this simple story. As mentioned, Sheridan deserves great credit for delivering an exceptional script (I was happy he received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay). The two brothers are fascinating characters and I loved riding alongside them. Their story is unexpected and fascinating. The two lawmen out to get them are equally as interesting. I loved their dynamic as well. That means that as the film toggles between these two different sets of characters, there's never a dull moment, never a second when we're not happy to make the leap. The story of these four men is powerful and memorable and I loved every second of it.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster were excellent together. They are both strong actors and gave laudable performances. They had a comfort and familiarity together on screen that made me believe they were related. Some of the funniest moments of the film involve banter between these two. This is a serious film in many ways, so those lighthearted moments were well-received. It felt like they always came at exactly the right moment and were never forced. I had so much fun watching these two together. The same can be said for Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham. Birmingham might be the least famous of the big four in this film, but he absolutely carries his weight (and steals some scenes) against the great Jeff Bridges. These two likewise had hilarious banter and you could feel the familiarity and comfort between these two characters. Bridges received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor and he deserves it- he makes this character feel lived in and authentic. He's so good at delivering this genuine, memorable performances. I can only shake my head in awe at what he's able to do on screen here. I give Birmingham great credit as well- it would have been easy for him to fall into the shadows of the other cast members, but he makes his character essential and enjoyable in his own right. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.

The cinematography was excellent here- this is a gorgeous movie to look at in a bleak, desolated way. The story is tightly told. Director David Mackenzie uses every second of the 1 hour, 42 minute runtime effectively. This is a lean, focused story and the movie benefits significantly because of that. There isn't a wasted scene in the film. I also loved the conclusion of the movie. In a film like this, the ending matters so much and they truly stick the landing here. By the time this movie ended, I sat up and felt like applauding- a movie like this shouldn't have been as good as it was. Hell or High Water is a great movie and surprisingly emerged as one of the best films of the year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



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