Review of Hell or High Water (2016) by Kevin P — 22 Oct 2018

Strengths: The relationship between the brothers is the thing that this film excels the most. Chris Pine (Toby Howard) gives what is arguably the best performance of his career. He's likable and plays well off his brother. Ben Foster (Tanner Howard) is almost unrecognizable as his ex-con brother. He might be the show stealer, playing an unhinged man who is hell bent on helping his brother, even if it means sacrificing himself. Jeff Bridges (Marcus Hamilton) is his usual great self. There's a sense that he's kind of a jerk, but there's heart behind what he does. The bank robbery scenes are well done without going over the top. The tense scenes, like Toby getting stopped at a roadblock or his conversation with Marcus at the end of the film are both brilliantly handled. There's not a lot of effects used, but when we do get them, it looks great. There's a specific gunshot that looks phenomenal late in the movie. The direction is top notch and the script allows for some deep moments among the characters.

Weaknesses: The plot is ultimately very simple and straightforward. It's not a flat out bad thing, but it shines a light on the fact that this movie could mean more if things were laid out a bit differently. Along with that, some of the characters are kind of stereotypical and not fully fleshed out. We have the father trying to do right by his kids, the raging ex-con, etc. Another issue is some of the pacing. Points of the movie seem to drag.

Overall: Once you get past some pacing problems and some of the simple stuff, you find yourself watching a well-acted, engaging film with some great emotional beats.