Director: David MacKenzie
By Alex Watson
After being screened 'Un Certain Regard' at Cannes this year, David MacKenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan have come up with a thriller that packs a punch. One on the hand a heist movie and on the other a deep story of brotherhood, Hell or High Water is a picture with both brains and brawn. While the story at the centre may take some time to wrap your head around, MacKenzie, in the end, gives us one of the strongest pictures of 2016.
Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) are brothers who have resorted to robbing banks to wrestle much-needed funds. When word about a series of robberies gets out, soon to be retired Texas Ranger Marcus (Jeff Bridges) is soon on their trail. Throughout it becomes apparent these brothers are just targeting any banks, they are going after the same branch. Toby is not only desperate to save his families land, but he is also thinking of what it could bring in the future too.
Hell or High Water starts with a breathlessly calm opening where Toby and Tanner rob a bank early morning but are forced to wait for the manager to arrive. They only take small bills and hit another bank shortly afterwards. The principle reason for their heists is a smart one as Toby has inherited his families farm land but the bank is threatening to take it due an unpaid loan she took out. This land is potentially worth a lot of dough due to oil being discovered. Toby is desperate to hand this land over to his children in a trust, Tanner as a career criminal is able to assist him. Through their treks crossing the scorched Texas' plains, the brother's relationship is one that is always on the verge of exploding. Ex-con Tanner is very much the firecracker of the duo, the burden of his brother's life who will go off with the slightest jolt. Divorced Toby is the calmer and smarter of the two and his lack of criminal activity makes him the perfect sidekick.
The moment that impending retiree Marcus gets on the trail, MacKenzie is able to inject a newer sense of comedy into proceedings. Faced with a retirement he doesn't want, Marcus scene with his Native American co-worker Roberto (Gil Birmingham) are an endless array of witty quips as he remains unafraid to tease his ethnicity. In the midst of everything so serious, MacKenzie is able to find moments that both shock and delight like when the pair finds a grumpy old waitress who demands they only eat steak and grumbles about a New Yorker who once ordered Trout in 1987. At first along with the two Rangers we are mystified about the reasons for pair hitting the same branch of banks. When the big reveal is shown, the real genius of Sheridan's script is revealed and as their lawyer, Billy Rayburn (Kevin Rankin) says "It doesn't get much more Texan than that!" Gilles Nuttgen's gorgeous cinematography of the harsh landscape makes this feeling a journey into the nether region of the soul.
The final act of Hell or High Water is a chest tightening one as Marcus closes in on the two boys. The scene watching Toby attempt to reconnect with his estranged son is awkward but for this type of drama very realistic. The real emotion comes not from their botched final robbery attempt (seriously never piss the locals off!) but from Tanner's acceptance to his final fate. All the way through their dedication to each other is nothing short of miraculous, just watch Toby happily beat some wannabe gangsters making thinly veiled threats while Tanner just sleeps nonchalantly. He may have been despised by their mother and wasted his life with all his stretches in the pen, but when it comes to protecting his kin- Tanner is exactly the brother you need. Combined with a belting original score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, MacKenzie's movie shines brightly.
Chris Pine again shows just why he is fast becoming one of the stars of 2016 and as Toby, this is his strongest work. Showing a maturity and brains on screen never seen before, Pine convinces well as a desperate man looking to save his family legacy. Jeff Bridges is always electric whenever he comes on screen and his dedication to go out on top causes him an inner conflict that is glorious to watch. Unwilling to retire quickly, Marcus' dedication to the chase is often mocked by Roberto, but it's his work during the final act that really hits home as his carefree attitude is tested. Ben Foster might be an actor who doesn't always hit the mark but as Tanner his hair-trigger performance is wonderful. A man who will lose his shit at a moments notice, Foster give his character a calm yet horrifyingly casual approach to violence.
Hell or High Water is a possibly one of the best pictures you will see in 2016 with a trio of sizzling turns and gives proof that MacKenzie and Sheridan are two of the strongest hands possible at the moment.
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