Review of Hell or High Water (2016) by Ryan B — 18 Jun 2018

This is just the best! The script, the acting, the cinematography, that soundtrack. The themes that paint the narrative range from right to conceal and carry, to the dichotomy of big city Wall Street to small town Main Street. Posing questions but allowing the audience to come up with there own answers. I think 10 different people could see the movie 10 different ways and all enjoy it.

It's, far and away, Chris Pine's best performance as a leading role. All of the characters are uniquely human with these wonderful lines of ambiguity. Sure, Pine robs banks, but he is in touch with his morality and even burdened with guilt, and Ben Foster is most definitely a villain but he has such love for his brother. And Jeff Bridges! God love the good ole cowboy hat wearing, mushy-mouthed Jeff Bridges. Fully devoted to and talented at his job but again, not without his own flaws. His relationship with his partner, Gil Birmingham, is one of my favorite aspects of the film, and its culmination turns the grumpy "I'm too old for this shit" trope on its ears. They get along but probably wouldn't if they weren't partners. Bridges is a bit difficult to be around, but he shows love and respect in a certain way, and it's the only way that he knows how. Even the superb performances of the bit players gives the setting such an authenticity. Having grown up in Texas I feel like I've met many of the supporting characters (for better or worse).

Hell or High Water also makes such great use of the emptiness of west Texas. Everything is timed and paced and laid out so well that there are periods of time that highlight how boring open space can be, then jolts you to life with these crime scenes that are reminiscent of Michael Mann's Heat.