David Mackenzie may have put out his greatest film to date with “Hell or High Water,” a subtle, engaging, gritty crime thriller that pulls the viewer right into that big west Texas landscape. The film is the perfect example of a modern western because it works so well in today’s world, where we relate more with sympathetic criminals than with the banks and the law.
Toby Howard (Chris Pine, “Star Trek Beyond”) is a divorced dad in desperate times. His mother recently died and the bank is finally coming after the family ranch, which is supposed to go to Toby’s two boys to ensure their future. The ranch has many natural oil spots that they can drill for a fortune.
Days before the property is supposed to be taken away, Toby meets up with his estranged older brother Tanner (Ben Foster, “Lone Survivor”). Tanner is a reckless ex-con, but the two make a mostly good pair. Tanner has the bank robbing experience, but with Toby’s clean record the robberies have to go safe and smart.
They come up with an elaborate scheme to rob the banks and pay them back with their own money, the most Texas thing to do ever, but of course things never go as planned. A nearly retired Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton, (Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”), and his partner are hot on their trail.
It’s an interesting environment for these rangers to work in and the audience questions what these people’s true intentions are.
We know that Toby is doing this solely for his children; he’s making a major sacrifice to give his children a better future. He talks of poverty as an illness and all he wants is to stop that terrible trait from passing on any longer.
Tanner’s intentions are a bit cloudier. Is he doing this because he needs to get that major adrenaline rush that only comes from robbing these banks or does he truly want this to happen for his brother’s family?
The ranger’s role in all this is the most interesting of them all, being an elderly widower with only his job left. Does Marcus want this case to last as long as possible to keep pushing that retirement or does he want to catch these boys because it’s the law and the right thing to do?
The people the rangers have to interact with are strange pawns too. They seem to be rooting on for these anonymous bandits because they can all relate to the struggle of the lower class and the bank screwing them over at some point during their lives.
Screenwriter Tyler Sheridan is certainly on a roll. Last year he penned one of 2015’s greatest and most glorious films, “Sicario,” now he has his name on this. Sheridan understands the structure and twists necessary for a good crime film and more importantly can incorporate light with the darkness. Before each scene would change over, there would be a witty zinger or one liner that briefly elevated the darkness we were facing.
Pine, Foster and Bridges play these roles with the perfect amount of charisma and grace. A rare crime film that stands out from the average because it creates a world that’s relatable yet foreign. A world where cruelness is known well and is always fought.
