Film Review: Hell Or High Water

In Hell Or High Water, nothing is quite what it seems. With the structure of a Western and protagonists that seem familiar, director David Mackenzie (Starred Up) pulls a subtle bait-and-switch. As his thoughtful, sunbaked cops-and-robbers tale plays out across economically ravaged towns in West Texas, Hell Or High Water uses small moments to address big issues.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster, suitably careworn and jowly, star as brothers embarking on a series of bank heists across Texas. Targeting small branches and only taking small bills, they share information about their plan and background in similarly modest chunks. As children from a broken home, the adrenaline of their crime spree is undercut by a haunting thread of melancholy, history and fate.

Pine and Foster put in career bests as brothers, who are different but unerringly loyal to each other, and to their values. As a deadbeat dad trying to redeem himself through crime, Pine imbues Toby with regret and a determination to make good – even if “good” is relative. Foster’s sociopathic Tanner softens around his brother, but his ferocity and hot-headed nature can easily boil over, putting their plans in jeopardy.

As a slow-drawling but whipsmart Texas Ranger, Jeff Bridges is dry and deadpan, and his understanding of criminality is as nuanced as the criminals themselves.

As these complex characters unfold slowly, Mackenzie undoes every genre expectation. The constantly twisting plot evolves into a layered examination of how capitalism and corrupt bankers exploit the poor. When poverty forces rural Americans into a no-win game, do the terms “thieves” and “crime” lose their meaning?

Cinematographer Gils Nuttgens captures the sweating yellow and harsh gold of the merciless landscape. As steam rises on the roads, it warps the horizon ahead. In this heat, nothing is clear.