Hell or High Water

After a resurgence of ‘old school’ westerns of late (The Hateful Eight, Slow West, The Magnificent Seven) I was interested to hear about Hell or High Water, which has been hailed as a ‘modern’ take on the genre. I was intrigued. Would its central characters have the true grit of the classics, but with the action of a modern thriller? Would the motivations of the 21 century still translate into the attitude of the old west? Well, as John Wayne would say, it’s time to saddle up, pilgrim, or, in a ‘modern’ twist, it’s time to get a lovely pint of lager, and settle down at Cinema City to watch the movie.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster star as brothers Tanner and Toby Howard. Driven by desperation, and full of Lone Star attitude, they embark on a last-ditch plan to save their family ranch by robbing small branches of the very bank that intends to take it from them. Now these blood brothers are not nice guys, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and moved by good intentions and motivated by redemption, they set out to make good with their families and their legacy. Albeit in a hail of gun fire and gut punches. Following their trail of bank notes and bald tyres is near-to-retirement Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton, played with conviction and balance by Jeff Bridges, and his half Mexican, half Native American partner Alberto, played by Gil Birmingham. Will these two good ol' boys get their men, or will the outlaws ride off into the sunset? Well, I'm not going to tell you that here, obviously.

What I will tell you is that the acting is first class. Pine and Foster also both turn in career defining performances, again making their characters feel authentic and genuine, and the friendship between Bridges’ and Birmingham’s two lawmen is also nuanced and realistic, with trust and mutual respect shining through a veil of casually racist comments and put downs. The script is perfectly weighted, and the well written dialogue moves flawlessly between funny at times, and then sincere and emotional at others. There is a real sense all the way through that this film is exactly where it should be at any given moment.