Hell Or High Water [DVD] [2016]

Saw this at the movies when it came out, and was blown away by its subtle and violent ends of the same narrative, loved the west Texas slant and odd ball cameos, and wanted to see it again...it delivers every time. 'The things we do for our kids' indeed. Very much worth your time.

Having seen this film before, it impressed me even more the second time round. No way is this a standard cowboy 'shoot -em-up/posse chase' with a weak storyline. It brings out the reasons why the two main protagonists do what they do and the doggedness of the Texas Rangers, in a progressive, understanding way, all threaded within aparrent daily normalcy. The actors, producers and directors have done a grand job. This film is one to stay on my 'watch again' shelf.

Two brothers try to accumulate money by robbing branches of the bank which has cost their recently deceased mother and the family so much that they are in substantial debt. The plan is to pay off the mortgage on their ranch and other debts and for the younger brother Toby (Chris Pine) to hand over the property to his two sons, in trust. The older brother, Tanner (Ben Foster) has had a life of crime and is happy to support his brother but as much for enjoyment of the reckless heists they carry out. This movie is highly atmospheric, set in hot, dusty Texas, with a powerful musical soundtrack, and conveys the sense of decay, failing industry, lack of work, very low incomes, and you sympathise with the brothers' motives, if not their method of fighting back. Central to it all is the performance of Jeff Bridges, as the old school Ranger Hamilton whose attitude to his colleague is unforgivably not pc but who is wily and can outthink his quarry at every turn. The pace is ponderous but it suits the hot, uncomfortable atmosphere, and the ending is thought-provoking, worth the wait.

Two brothers, one a dangerous career criminal not long out of jail, the other a lonely divorcee with his sons' best interests at heart, embark upon a series of bank robberies, the aim being, ironically, to use the spoils to pay back the bank before it forecloses on their late mother's oil-rich ranch. A wily Texas ranger on the brink of retirement believes he can trace their movements and apprehend them at their next hit. Beautiful scenery of a parched Texas landscape and an evocative C & W score aid a clever, unusual script aided by three excellent performances, Ben Foster as the trigger-happy older brother, Chris Pine playing against his usual heroic hunk image and the reliable Jeff Bridges, playfully taunting his Native American side-kick, who dominate the film though the supporting players all look as they are real hicks and not actors. There are shades of 'No Country for Old Men' in its depiction of a world-weary lawman pursuing his quarry against a barren landscape but the film is original and well worth seeing. It is up for several Oscars but, with the possible exception of Bridges, I fear it will lose out .

I'm not always drawn to the Western genre, but a good one will draw me in, and 'Hell or High Water' does fit the bill of a good example.The film follows two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who have been, for reasons explained in the film, carrying out a series of armed robberies of banks. Eventually finding a way onto their trail are a veteran lawman (Jeff Bridges) and his partner. Eventually, paths will be crossed but although that's the basic narrative, it's one of those great finds where you can, if you want to, pull much more than that from it. Vast landscapes, people surviving in whatever way they can and making decisions which don't necessarily make them bad, but which have to be reckoned with not nonetheless, coupled with some effective characterisation and great performances, push the film beyond being a run of the mill piece. I found myself really drawn into the characters by the end, and enjoyed it a lot.There's an adequate selection of extras, including a 30 minute Q&A with the director and main cast, featurettes and footage from the premiere in Austin, Texas that all in run around 75 minutes. The featurettes are more interesting than the Q&A but it's an OK package.

Not much else to say. Had its ups and downs. I guess it had some great action but the pacing all felt a little off. So it seemed to just get a little dull at times. ALthough I think this might have been on purpose to give a sense of the swealtering heat and bleak landscapes. It was a great film, I wouldn't mind watching it again. The performances were very decent. Maybe a tiny tweak with the pacing and tone of the film and it could have been a classic 10/10. Just felt like it was a little restricted from reaching its potential. Anyway still very enjoyable and I recommend it.

A classic....this film is a great one to watch...nostalgic of the american west..

This was quite a striking film that took many unexpected turns and kept me hooked throughout. I'd probably best describe it as part western, part heist movie. I thought Ben Foster was good despite again playing a role he is very much known for, a dangerous character who can not and will not be controlled. Jeff Bridges also put in a great performance as the pursuer of the bad guys whose character is mostly unlikable until tragedy hits and you realise it was all superficial. However, for me the stand out performance was Chris Pine who for once was not playing Chris Pine! He is a decent actor but I would struggle to pick out a performance that is so very different from the others until this one. His final conversation with Jeff Bridges was spot on, saying so much with very few words.