Thoughts on Hell or High Water (2016) · 12:36am Dec 21st, 2023

(Rewatched November 24th, 2023.)

I've seen this movie before, though it's been a number of years now. Still holds up very well.

Taking place in West Texas, "Hell or High Water" is the story of two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), who carry out a spree of bank robberies to raise the money to pay off the mortgage on their old family ranch. Investigating the robbers are Texas Rangers Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham).

"Hell or High Water" is an interesting movie in a lot of ways. While it is very much a movie set in the modern day, it's also striking to watch this and see just how much it shows how little things have changed since the days of the Old West. (Ranger Parker's monologue observing how the Natives and Mexicans were driven out by white settlers, and now the descendants of those settlers are being driven out by the banks, is a blunt but very effective illustration of how some cycles just continue.) And one could say that the crux of the movie is Toby Howard's drive to break the cycle of poverty that his family has been trapped in, and the price that is paid for that goal.

That's not to say that the movie is completely dour, however. In fact, there's a surprising amount of snarky humor in this film thanks to the interactions between characters. Chris Pine and Ben Foster really capture the vibe of two brothers who, despite their differences (Toby is methodical and more trusting; Tanner is hotheaded and a risk-taker but more savvy to criminal life) are still driven to do whatever it takes to make a better future for their family. The Rangers' interactions are marked by a lot of little sniping back and forth (Hamilton's jokes really shouldn't be so funny, but Jeff Bridges just nails the playfully teasing vibe), but it's clear that they do genuinely work well together. Also, the scene where they stop for lunch at a restaurant staffed by perhaps THE fiercest waitress ever put to film, is a real highlight.

This movie really made me sit up and take note of Chris Pine as an actor. I'd mainly known him for the Star Trek reboot trilogy and while he was fine in the role of James T. Kirk there, this movie was one that really made me appreciate him as a performer. He sells the character, whether that's in Toby's brotherly moments, or in Toby having a talk with one of his estranged sons... and the cliffhanger between him and Ranger Hamilton is a fine piece of tension as well. Wow.

One thing that stood out to me in particular on this viewing is Ben Foster's performance. He may adore the bandit life and see himself as a modern-day Comanche warrior, but his family loyalty is absolute. Despite knowing that they won't make a cent out of their robberies, he still joins in, for the sake of his brother's family as much as for the rush. The final moment between the two siblings is an effective one for sure.

I've already had a fondness for Jeff Bridges, but he gives a standout performance as Ranger Hamilton. He's funny in many ways, but never one-note. He's personable with the people he interviews in the course of the investigation, and uncomfortable with his pending retirement, and while he tries to get a rise out of his partner with un-PC humor, it's clearly in a teasing sense rather than anything worse. (Which makes the ultimate outcome of his and Parker's pursuit of the robbers all the sadder.) His meeting with Toby Howard at the end of the movie is a fine showcase of dramatic ability as well. Not a bullet exchanged, but it's a standoff that feels right at home in a classic Western.

All in all, not a single member of the cast is a dud note. Every part in this movie - from the two robbers to each of the two Rangers, down to bit parts like the brothers' lawyer or a weaselly banker - are all played perfectly.

Great movie all around. Very glad to have it in my collection.