Through the eyes of Englishman David Mackenzie, Texas is turned into a smoldering, dust-covered, Coens-esque environment, full of no-shit-taking colorful characters. The director’s follow-up to the gritty and ultra-raw jail flick “Starred Up” is much lighter on its feet, leaning on “Sicario” screenwriter Taylor Sheridan and his brimful of whip-smart hijinks that pepper the picture with entertaining zest. Lead by three impressive actors in Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, “Hell or High Water” belongs more to the caper genre than the western, no matter how much its gorgeous vistas of the Texan plains (as shot by Giles Nuttgens) might beg to differ. But though it doesn’t have the minimalist and quiet grandiosity of a western, the film deftly tucks themes of generations lost underneath its humorous surface.
The opening shot also goes to show that the camera is on the fun; a 360 degree pan around a scorching day in Texas ends with the film’s first bank robbery. Recalling the amusing tones of something like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundace Kid” or “Ocean’s 11,” the robberies that brothers Tanner (Foster) and Toby (Pine) pull off are way more amusing than threatening. They’re total amateurs, as rightly spotted by the first teller they pull their guns on; “if you leave now, the only thing you’ll be guilty of is being stupid.” Added to the fact their cause is righteous — they’re trying to save the family farm from being foreclosed on by those very same banks — and you get a film where our hearts and convictions are squarely on the side of the robbers. Well, definitely on the side of the straight-shooting Toby and maybe a little less so on the wild Tanner, who recently got out of jail and revels in doing bad things like a tail-wagging dog with a bone.
The dynamic between the two sheriffs who are chasing them, though, is equally endearing. With one foot in retirement, Marcus (Bridges) and his half Native-American half Mexican partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) squabble and pester each other as they trace the brothers’ whereabouts and figure out which bank they’ll be hitting next. Marcus’ continuous jabs at Alberto’s roots might put off some ultra-politically correct members of the audience, but the genuine affection, camaraderie, and respect they have for each other becomes clear enough. The plot’s skeleton doesn’t evolve beyond “cops chasing robbers,” but “Hell or High Water” balances its widespread and intelligent humor with something that’s real, serious, and tremendously sad. How past generations have affected present-day midland America and its inhabitants — whether it’s in the real source of Toby’s motives or in the many good-natured, smart-alecky yokels we meet on the sidelines — is the most prominent and deepest theme in the film, imbuing the picture with a necessary seriousness.
To get this particular balance just where he wants it, Mackenzie doesn’t just rely on Sheridan’s rich screenplay. Musical stalwarts of the modern western, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, score the film with their usual penchant for melancholic strings and sombre timbres. Then you have the wonderful side-characters (and the biggest reason why I say the film resembles a Coens-esque vibe), local Texans who are proud of their guns and have no shame in giving their what’s what on particular situations. One stand-out scene involves an elderly “rattlesnake of a waitress” (Margaret Bowman) who’s so wonderfully real in the way she deals with Marcus and Alberto that I’d dare say she’s the film’s gleeful highlight.
Performance-wise, Bridges stands out from his younger co-stars (Foster takes a more manic approach, and Pine plays the straight-laced Toby with appropriate gravitas) even if it’s hard to discern what he drawls out at times. He’s especially fantastic as the film heads toward the conclusion, when things get a touch darker, and he stops fooling around. It’s Birmingham who walks out as the film’s MVP, however. His Albert is subdued and somehow forlorn even when he matches Marcus in trading barbs. And a key moment provides unexpected sorrow, when we realize how much of America’s treacherous past towards his people Albert still keeps in his heart.
“Hell or High Water” might walk over familiar ground with second-hand boots in terms of character development and structural beats, but it does so with great personality and zero pretension of wanting to be anything more. What’s impressive is that Mackenzie’s first foray into American landscapes and customs still manages to simmer beyond the boilerplate. A great discourse can be pulled out of the film’s attitude towards modern government institutions and how wide the shadow of previous generations covers the present. Best of all, if you feel like you’ve heard it all before, the film nonetheless provides more than its share of entertainment to make it a surefooted and perfectly enjoyable ride. [B]
This is a reprint of our review from the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
